評論
打印
The literature on drug addiction has grown at a rate that
defies anyone to keep abreast of the literature, and
apparently in inverse proportion to our understanding of
the subject. Addiction, or dependence, as it is more
5 fashionable to call it, excites controversy and speculation
yet true understanding of the phenomenon remains elusive.
In fact the area is fraught with speculation and
acrimonious debate. Definition of terms such as ‘drug’,
‘addiction’, and ‘abuse’ is obviously less controversial
10 than attempts to explain the nature of drug dependence,
yet even the terminology is imprecise and overlain with
subjective connotations. At its most basic, a drug, as
defined by the World Heath Organization, is simply ‘any
substance which when taken into the living organism may
15 modify one or more of its functions’. This kind of
definition is too wide to be of any use in a discussion
of dependence: it covers everything from insulin to
aspirin, penicillin to alcohol.
3. The author implies that he thinks the term “dependence” in the context of drugs
A. is more accurate the older term “addiction”
B. has not always been the preferred term
C. is a currently under-used term
D. is an avant-garde aberration
E. is more controversial than the term “addiction”
4. We can infer from the first sentence that
A. not all that has been written on the subject of addiction has added to our understanding
B. no one can have read all the literature on any drug
C. the more that is published the more we are likely to understand
D. the rate of growth should be higher if we are to understand the subject
E. writing about addiction is fashionable
Paragraph one
When the explorer comes home victorious, everyone goes out
to cheer him. We are all proud of his achievement — proud
on behalf of the nation and of humanity. We think it is a
new feather in our cap, and one we have come by cheaply.
5 How many of those who join in the cheering were there when
the expedition was fitting out, when it was short of bare
necessities, when support and assistance were most urgently
wanted? Was there then any race to be first? At such a time
the leader has usually found himself almost alone; too
10 often he has had to confess that his greatest difficulties
were those he had to overcome at home before he could set
sail. So it was with Columbus, and so it has been with many
since his time.
Paragraph two
Amundsen has always reached the goal he has aimed at, this
15 man who sailed his little yacht over the whole Arctic Ocean,
round the north of America, on the course that had been
sought in vain for four hundred years. So, when in 1910 he
left the fjord on his great expedition in the Fram, to drift
right across the North Polar Sea, would it not have been
20 natural if we had been proud of having such a man to support?
But was it so? For a long time he struggled to complete his
equipment. Money was still lacking, and little interest was
shown in him and his work. He himself gave everything he
possessed in the world. But nevertheless had to put to sea
25 loaded with anxieties and debts, as he sailed out quietly
on a summer night.
5. In paragraph one, the ‘race to be first’ refers ironically to the
A. lack of response to urgent appeals for help
B. willingness to give credit
C. lack of support to the explorer before he achieves his goals
D. rush to laud the explorer
E. eagerness of the explorer to be alone
6. The ‘feather in our cap’ refers to
A. our willingness to take unearned credit for a triumph
B. the pride we have in being human
C. our sense of having got a reward for our investment
D. way we respond to all success
E. the way we express our joy
7. Both paragraphs make their point with the aid of
A. repetition and parallel construction
B. specific details of time and place
C. metaphor
D. reference to historical documents
E. rhetorical questions
8. From both paragraphs taken together, it appears that Amundsen and Columbus shared all of the following except the fact that they
A. were explorers
B. were not always supported when they most needed it
C. achieved feats that should have received accolades
D. had difficulties to face apart from those they faced on their expeditions
E. sailed the seas alone
SAT閱讀習題:Reading Comprehension Test 12參考答案見下一頁
