第七題

　　The Wall Street Journal has continued as the world’s most credible news source and one that refused to conform to the passing prejudice and error of the journalistic herd. Naturally the Journal receives ongoing abuse from the herd for its distressing independence. Yet, rarely is the criticism straightforward but rather an assault on the conservatism of the Journal’s editorial page, which strikes conformist journalists as an insult and is the real cause of the herd’s distress. Rather the criticism focuses on the Journal’s bottom line, its sluggish share price, and rumors that the family controlling the paper, the Bancroft family, is unhappy and about to sell it.

　　The rumors of the Bancrofts’ unhappiness are all highly exaggerated and quickly refuted. For this proud family whose ancestor, Clarence W. Barron, purchased the Journal and with it the Dow Jones news service in 1902 conceives of its ownership as a “public trust.” That is how Roy A. Hammer, a lawyer and trustee for the entities through which the Bancrofts control the paper, described their sense of ownership. This is not so unusual. Great newspapers have always played a major role in American civic life. I said “great newspapers,” serious newspapers, the kind that put gathering news ahead of sensationalism.

　　Most of the truly profitable newspapers in the country today are essentially shopping circulars with some cheap journalism printed on those pages not devoted to shopping mall sales. The great newspaper chains take over local papers, fire journalists, and set out to fill their pages with still more advertisements. Well, they supply a service. They let readers know about the price, say, of chicken at the Giant or snow tires at the CVS. But fewer and fewer local newspapers supply much news and analysis. Great newspapers do, and not one that I know of makes a vast amount of money.

　　Great newspapers do help to set the agenda for the nation. They break stories of corruption or on other vital matters. One of the few things I find admirable about the New York Times is that its controlling family, the Sulzberger family, is not intent on squeezing every penny of profit out of its flagship paper. Thus last week when I read a long critique in the Times of the Wall Street Journal’s management for its sluggish financial performance, I discovered hypocrisy.

　　The hypocrisy is all the greater coming from liberals who are criticizing conservatives for their alleged devotion the “Almighty Dollar.” Profits are essential to all businesses. For one thing they are a very accurate poll of the populace’s tastes, but there are other services some corporations supply to society. Both the Journal and the Times supply—at too high a cost—information that enlightens the citizenry.

　　1. The journalistic herd’s distress is caused by the Wall Street Journal’s _____.

　　[A] credibility [B] prejudice [C] conformism [D] professionalism

　　2. The Bancroft family purchased the Wall Street Journal to _____.

　　[A] sell it for a higher price [B] promote the Dow Jones news service

　　[C] dominate the great newspapers chains [D] influence American civic life

　　3. It can be inferred from the passage that great newspapers _____ .

　　[A] have to engage in a form of sensationalism [B] make a bigger profit than local papers

　　[C] supply much news and analysis [D] refuse to accept the error of the journalistic herd

　　4. The author says “I discovered hypocrisy” (Last line, Paragraph 4), because _____ .

　　[A] the Times was involved in corruption [B] the Times was becoming profit-driven

　　[C] the Times was attacking the Journal [D] the Journal was in financial difficulty

　　5. The author seems to believe that all the newspapers should _____.

　　[A] maxmize the profit [B] satisfy the public’s tastes [C] provide social services [D] inform the readers at a high cost

　　參考答案：1.C 2.D 3.C 4.B 5.C

　　第八題

　　It’s plain common sense—the more happiness you feel, the less unhappiness you experience. It’s plain common sense, but it’s not true. Recent research reveals that happiness and unhappiness are not really two sides of the same emotion. They are two distinct feelings that, coexisting, rise and fall independently.

　　People might think that the higher a person’s level of unhappiness, the lower their level of happiness and vice versa. But when researchers measure people’s average levels of happiness and unhappiness, they often find little relationship between the two.

　　The recognition that feelings of happiness and unhappiness can co-exist much like love and hate in a close relationship may offer valuable clues on how to lead a happier life. It suggests, for example, that changing or avoiding things that make you miserable may well make you less miserable, but probably won’t make you any happier. That advice is backed up by an extraordinary series of studies which indicate that a genetic predisposition for unhappiness may run in certain families. On the other hand, researchers have found happiness doesn’t appear to be anyone’s heritage. The capacity for joy is a talent you develop largely for yourself.

　　Psychologists have settled on a working definition of the feeling—happiness is a sense of subjective well-being. They have also begun to find out who’s happy, who isn’t and why. To date, the research hasn’t found a simple formula for a happy life, but it has discovered some of the actions and attitudes that seem to bring people closer to that most desired of feelings.

　　Why is unhappiness less influenced by environment? When we are happy, we are more responsive to people and keep up connections better than when we are feeling sad. This doesn’t mean, however, that some people are born to be sad and that’s that. Genes may predispose one to unhappiness, but disposition can be influenced by personal choice. You can increase your happiness through your own actions.

　　1. According to the text, it is true that

　　[A] unhappiness is more inherited than affected by environment.

　　[B] happiness and unhappiness are mutually conditional.

　　[C] unhappiness is subject to external more than internal factors.

　　[D] happiness is an uncontrollable subjective feeling.

　　2. The author argues that one can achieve happiness by

　　[A] maintaining it at an average level.

　　[B] escaping miserable occurrences in life.

　　[C] pursuing it with one’s painstaking effort.

　　[D] realizing its coexistence with unhappiness.

　　3. The phrase “To date” (Para. 4) can be best replaced by

　　[A] As a result.

　　[B] In addition.

　　[C] At present.

　　[D] Until now.

　　4. What do you think the author believes about happiness and unhappiness?

　　[A] One feels unhappy owing to his miserable origin.

　　[B] They are independent but existing concurrently

　　[C] One feels happy by participating in more activities.

　　[D] They are actions and attitudes taken by human beings.

　　5. The sentence “That’s that” (Para. 5) probably means: Some people are born to be sad

　　[A] and the situation cannot be altered.

　　[B] and happiness remains inaccessible.

　　[C] but they don’t think much about it.

　　[D] but they remain unconscious of it.

　　參考答案：ACDBA

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