Perhaps it is in his knowledge that he could not find in his country's national destiny the meaning of whai it means to be American that Thoreau remains most radically American.An American,properly speaking,is an exception.In America freedom lies just beyond the bounds of the institutional order-a mile from any neighbor,in the adjacent woods of Walden,where forests silence the rumors of the outside world and allow one to discover America in and for oncself.Even on the American continent those who would discover America must reenact the original gesture of departure and seek out the shores of Walden Pond.Thoreau goes into the forest not like medieval Christian saints who sought out an extreme condition where a preestablished truth could impose itself more rigorously upon them.but as one who would put to the test the meaning of being on the earth.Life is an experiment of its meaning,and freedom consists in the chance to undertake the experiment for oneself in the"land of opportunity."Like most experiments,Thoreau's excursion to Walden sought to establish the matters of fact.The woods do not contain the knowledge that Thoreau seeks by going there;they do,however,uncover the habitual hiding places of the self,leaving it exposed to the facts of life,whatever they be.In his exposure Thoreau presumes to discover his irreducible relation to nature.What he discovers is that this relation remains opaque.We are in relation to nature because we are not within nature.We do not intrinsically belong to the natural order(if we did we would not need to discover the facts of life)but find in our relation our destiny as excursioners on the earth.(49)Thoreau's allusion to a"next excursion"implies that the experiment at Walden,as well as life in its very essence,are also excursions-excursions into a world where we are at once estranged and alive,or better,alive in our estrangement.Those who have never gone into the woods to"live deliberately,"or who merely drift on the stream of institutional history,never get to the bottom of what life is(and Walden affirms that life does have a bottom).Caught in the network of social relations,they are doomed to a"strange uncertainty"about life,for,never having essayed their own lives in a test of reality,they hear only vague and contradictory rumors about it,like a foreign country.

Perhaps it is in his knowledge that he could not find in his country's national destiny the meaning of whai it means to be American that Thoreau remains most radically American.An American,properly speaking,is an exception.In America freedom lies just beyond the bounds of the institutional order-a mile from any neighbor,in the adjacent woods of Walden,where forests silence the rumors of the outside world and allow one to discover America in and for oncself.Even on the American continent those who would discover America must reenact the original gesture of departure and seek out the shores of Walden Pond.Thoreau goes into the forest not like medieval Christian saints who sought out an extreme condition where a preestablished truth could impose itself more rigorously upon them.but as one who would put to the test the meaning of being on the earth.Life is an experiment of its meaning,and freedom consists in the chance to undertake the experiment for oneself in the"land of opportunity."Like most experiments,Thoreau's excursion to Walden sought to establish the matters of fact.The woods do not contain the knowledge that Thoreau seeks by going there;they do,however,uncover the habitual hiding places of the self,leaving it exposed to the facts of life,whatever they be.In his exposure Thoreau presumes to discover his irreducible relation to nature.What he discovers is that this relation remains opaque.We are in relation to nature because we are not within nature.We do not intrinsically belong to the natural order(if we did we would not need to discover the facts of life)but find in our relation our destiny as excursioners on the earth.(49)Thoreau's allusion to a"next excursion"implies that the experiment at Walden,as well as life in its very essence,are also excursions-excursions into a world where we are at once estranged and alive,or better,alive in our estrangement.Those who have never gone into the woods to"live deliberately,"or who merely drift on the stream of institutional history,never get to the bottom of what life is(and Walden affirms that life does have a bottom).Caught in the network of social relations,they are doomed to a"strange uncertainty"about life,for,never having essayed their own lives in a test of reality,they hear only vague and contradictory rumors about it,like a foreign country.


参考解析

解析:梭罗提到的“下一次旅行”暗示,在瓦尔登湖的实验以及生活的本质也是旅行——在一个我们既疏离又存在的世界里,或者说,在一个我们存在于疏离中的世界里旅行。

相关考题:

AJackie Chan was born on April 7, 1954 in Hong Kong, China. His parents left mainland China for Hong Kong a short time before he was born. His parents named him "Chan Kang- sang", which means "born in Hong Kong". They wanted to celebrate a safe t4ip to ~tng Kong.At first, Jackie's family lived in the French Embassy(大使馆). His father was a cook,and- his mother was a housekeeper.When Jackie was seven years old, his family moved to Aus- tralia, His father got a job in the American Embassy. Later, back in Hong Kong, Jackie's fa- ther sent him to the China Drama Academy(中国戏剧学院). Jackie studied and worked 19 hours a day. The students practised Kong Fu(功夫) and learned how to do many stunts(特技表演)thereWhen Jackie was 17, he began to do dangerous stunts for films. In the early 1980s, Jackie went to Hollywood(好莱坞), but he wasn’t very successful. He went on making films in Hong Kong and had great success. Finally, in 1995, Jackie Chan became famous in the United States. Today, Jackie Chan has both Chinese and American fans, and his films make millions of dollars.( )21. What is Jackie Chan?A. He is a cook.B. He is a singer.C. He is a film star.D. He is a housekeeper.

If you say to an American that you are a stranger there, most probably he will______.A. offer his helpB. stop smiling at youC. help you find the wayD. reply that he is pleased to meet you

28. Mike-s room isn’t tidy(整洁) because ________.A. something is brokenB. he can-t find his watchC. he is an English boyD. his things are everywhere

In his poems, Whitman tends to use ______.A、oral EnglishB、the King’s EnglishC、American EnglishD、old English

Mr. Scrushy made donations to the black groups probably because ________.A. he had close relations with Birmingham's African-American populationB. he wanted the church to set up more buildingsC. he was very benevolentD. he wanted to get support from the blacks in his trial

Jean Wagner’s most enduring contribution to the study of Afro-American poetry is his insistence that it ____ in a religious, as well as worldly, frame. of reference.[A]is to be analyzed[B]has been analyzed[C]be analyzed[D]should have been analyzed

On November 19,1863, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery. The Civil War was still going on. There was much criticism of President Lincoln at the time. He was not at all popular. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of politeness. The principal speaker was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere. It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Late that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked briefly on the speech. The next day Everett spoke first. He spoke for an hour and 57 minutes. His speech was a perfect example of the rich oratory of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little attention to him. He spoke for only nine minutes. At the end there was little applause. Lincoln turned to a friend and remarked, "I have failed again." On the train back to Washington, he said sadly, "That speech was a flat failure, and the people are disappointed." Some newspapers at first criticized the speech. But little by little as people read the speech they began to understand better. They began to appreciate its simplicity and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made. Today, every American school child learns Lincoln′s Gettysburg Address by heart. Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest speeches ever given in American history. It can be inferred from the text that___________A.Lincoln prepared his speech very carefully before he went to GettysburgB.Lincoln was very busy at the time and didn' t have much time to prepare his speechC.Lincoln's speech was full of rich wordsD.Lincoln' s speech was very long

根据下面资料,回答题 German Prime Minister Otto Von Bismarck may be most famous for his 11 and diplomatic talent, but his contributions to the society include many of today′s social insurance programs. During the middle of the 19th century, Germany, along with other European nations, 12 an unusual outbreak of workplace deaths and accidents as a result of growing 13 . Motivated in part by Christian sympathy for the helpless as well as a practical political impulse to get the created of the socialist labor movement, Bismarck 14 the world′ s first worker′ s compensation law in 1884. By 1908, the United States was the 15 industrial nation in the world that lacked workers′ compensation insurance. American′s injured workers could seek compensation in a court of law, but they still faced a number of tough legal barriers. 16 , employees had to prove that their injuries directly 17 employer′s lack of care and they themselves were ignorant about potential danger in the workplace. The first state workers′ compensation law in this country passed in 1911, and the program soon 18 throughout the nation. After World War II, benefit payments to American workers did not 19 the cost of living. In fact, real benefit levels were lower in the 1970s than they were in the 1940s, and in most states the maximum benefit was below the poverty level for a family of four. In 1970, President Richard Nixon set up a national commission to study the problems of workers′ compensation. Two years later, the commission issued 19 key recommendations, 20 one that called for increasing compensation benefit levels to 100 percent of the states′ average weekly wages. A.uniqueB.onlyC.powerfulD.most

On November 19,1863, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery. The Civil War was still going on. There was much criticism of President Lincoln at the time. He was not at all popular. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of politeness. The principal speaker was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere. It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Late that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked briefly on the speech. The next day Everett spoke first. He spoke for an hour and 57 minutes. His speech was a perfect example of the rich oratory of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little attention to him. He spoke for only nine minutes. At the end there was little applause. Lincoln turned to a friend and remarked, "I have failed again." On the train back to Washington, he said sadly, "That speech was a flat failure, and the people are disappointed." Some newspapers at first criticized the speech. But little by little as people read the speech they began to understand better. They began to appreciate its simplicity and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made. Today, every American school child learns Lincoln′s Gettysburg Address by heart. Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest speeches ever given in American history. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?A.Lincoln' s Gettysburg Address has deep meaning.B.Lincoln' s Gettysburg Address is simple in style.C.Lincoln' s Gettysburg Address is memorized by every American school child.D.Lincoln' s Gettysburg Address is the greatest speech ever delivered in the United States.

Passage FiveIn 1924,Nordic ski events were held at the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix,France.But the American skiers came home without medals.Norway took most of the medals for cross-country and ski jumping events that year.They did the same for many years after.From 1924 through 1972,the American skiers had no medals to show for their Olympic trips.The U.S.was generally thought to be weak in ski competitionBut in 1974 it was discovered that the U.S.record was slightly better than people had been led to believe.And Norway's record was not quite as good.The discovery was a surprise and a delight to American ski fans,but even more so to American skier Anders Haugen.After fifty years,Anders got the medal he should have won back in 1924.In the ski jump event at Chamonix in 1924,Haugen had scored in fourth place.He had just missed earning a medal.His score was 17.916,just slightly behind Thorleif Haug of Norway.Haug's score of 18 had won him the bronze medal.But in 1974,Norway's National Olympic Committee did a check of all final Olympic results.There had been an error in?computing?Haug's score!So Haugen,now,an elderly man,traveled across the ocean for his award.On September 12,1974,hewas given a bronze medal in a special ceremony at the Norway Ski Museum.From 1924-1972,U.S.skiers were considered weak in Olympic competition because they______A.had won only two medalsB.had won no medalsC.had never entered jumping eventsD.had won only one medal

Passage FiveIn 1924,Nordic ski events were held at the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix,France.But the American skiers came home without medals.Norway took most of the medals for cross-country and ski jumping events that year.They did the same for many years after.From 1924 through 1972,the American skiers had no medals to show for their Olympic trips.The U.S.was generally thought to be weak in ski competitionBut in 1974 it was discovered that the U.S.record was slightly better than people had been led to believe.And Norway's record was not quite as good.The discovery was a surprise and a delight to American ski fans,but even more so to American skier Anders Haugen.After fifty years,Anders got the medal he should have won back in 1924.In the ski jump event at Chamonix in 1924,Haugen had scored in fourth place.He had just missed earning a medal.His score was 17.916,just slightly behind Thorleif Haug of Norway.Haug's score of 18 had won him the bronze medal.But in 1974,Norway's National Olympic Committee did a check of all final Olympic results.There had been an error in?computing?Haug's score!So Haugen,now,an elderly man,traveled across the ocean for his award.On September 12,1974,hewas given a bronze medal in a special ceremony at the Norway Ski Museum.The best title for this passage would be______A.the 1924 OlympicsB.Norway's SkiersC.An Olympic Record CorrectedD.American Skiers in the Olympics

Passage FiveIn 1924,Nordic ski events were held at the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix,France.But the American skiers came home without medals.Norway took most of the medals for cross-country and ski jumping events that year.They did the same for many years after.From 1924 through 1972,the American skiers had no medals to show for their Olympic trips.The U.S.was generally thought to be weak in ski competitionBut in 1974 it was discovered that the U.S.record was slightly better than people had been led to believe.And Norway's record was not quite as good.The discovery was a surprise and a delight to American ski fans,but even more so to American skier Anders Haugen.After fifty years,Anders got the medal he should have won back in 1924.In the ski jump event at Chamonix in 1924,Haugen had scored in fourth place.He had just missed earning a medal.His score was 17.916,just slightly behind Thorleif Haug of Norway.Haug's score of 18 had won him the bronze medal.But in 1974,Norway's National Olympic Committee did a check of all final Olympic results.There had been an error in?computing?Haug's score!So Haugen,now,an elderly man,traveled across the ocean for his award.On September 12,1974,hewas given a bronze medal in a special ceremony at the Norway Ski Museum.The best definition for the word computing is______A.writingB.judgingC.figuringD.multiplying

Passage FiveIn 1924,Nordic ski events were held at the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix,France.But the American skiers came home without medals.Norway took most of the medals for cross-country and ski jumping events that year.They did the same for many years after.From 1924 through 1972,the American skiers had no medals to show for their Olympic trips.The U.S.was generally thought to be weak in ski competitionBut in 1974 it was discovered that the U.S.record was slightly better than people had been led to believe.And Norway's record was not quite as good.The discovery was a surprise and a delight to American ski fans,but even more so to American skier Anders Haugen.After fifty years,Anders got the medal he should have won back in 1924.In the ski jump event at Chamonix in 1924,Haugen had scored in fourth place.He had just missed earning a medal.His score was 17.916,just slightly behind Thorleif Haug of Norway.Haug's score of 18 had won him the bronze medal.But in 1974,Norway's National Olympic Committee did a check of all final Olympic results.There had been an error in?computing?Haug's score!So Haugen,now,an elderly man,traveled across the ocean for his award.On September 12,1974,hewas given a bronze medal in a special ceremony at the Norway Ski Museum.The writer says“the discovery was a surprise and a delight to American ski fans”in order to______A.show that the error and its correction were important to ski fans as well as to HaugenB.show that the error was more important to fans than to HaugenC.suggest that the Americans cared more about the error than the NorwegiansD.suggest that there had been no error

We can make mistakes at any age.Some mistakes we make are about money.But most mistakes?are about people."Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?When I got that great job,did Jim really feel good about it,as a friend?Or did he envy my luck?"When we look back,doubts?like these can make us feel bad.But when we look back,it′s too late.Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies?Sometimes what people say hides their?real meaning.And if we don′t really listen closely we miss the feeling behind the words.Suppose?someone tells you,"You′re a lucky dog."That′s being friendly.But"lucky dog"?There′s a bit?of envy in those words.Maybe he doesn′t see it himself.But bringing in the"dog"puts you down a?little.What he may be saying is that he doesn′t think you deserve your luck.Just think of all the things you have to be thankful foris another noise that says one thing and?means another.It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole.But is be?Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn′t important.It′s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven′t got a date for Saturday night.How can you tell the real meaning behind someone′s words?One way is to take a good look at?the person talking.Do his words fit the way he looks?Does what he says agree with the tone of?voice?His posture?The look in his eyes?Stop and think.The minute you spend thinking about the?real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.When we listen to a person talking,the most important thing for us to do is to__________.A.notice the way the person is talkingB.take a good look at the person talkingC.mind his tone,his posture and the look in his eyesD.examine the real meaning of what he says based on his manner,his tone and his posture

He’s a strange child and his teachers find it difficult to ______ him.A.scoldB.reachC.playD.seize

共用题干Few men have influenced the development of American English to the extent that Noah Webster did.After a short career in law,he turned to teaching,but he discovered how inadequate the available schoolbooks were for the children of a new and independent nation.In response to the need for truly American textbooks,Webster published A Grammatical Institute of the English Language,a three-volume work that consisted of a speller,a grammar,and a reader.The first volume,which was generally known as The American Spelling Book,was so popular that eventually it sold more than 80 million copies and provided him with a considerable income for the rest of his life.Can you imagine that?Anyway,in 1807,Noah Webster began his greatest work,An American Dictionary of the English Language.In preparing the manuscript,he devoted ten years to the study of English and its relationship to other languages,and seven more years to the writing itself. Published in two volumes in 1828,An American Dictionary of the English Language has become the recognized authority for usage in the United States.Webster's purpose in writing it was to demonstrate that the American language was developing distinct meanings,pronunciations,and spellings from those of British English. He is responsible for advancing many of the simplified spelling forms that distinguish American English from British.Webster was the first author to gain copyright protection in the United States by being awarded a copyright for The American Spelling Book and he continued to lobby over the next fifty years for the protection of intellectual properties,that is,for author's rights.By the time that Webster brought out the second edition of his dictionary,which included 70,000 entries instead of the original 38,000, the name Webster had become synonymous with American dictionaries.It was this second edition that served as the basis for the many revisions that have been produced by others, ironically,under the uncopyrighted Webster name.Webster remains active in promoting copyright protection throughout his life.A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned

共用题干Few men have influenced the development of American English to the extent that Noah Webster did.After a short career in law,he turned to teaching,but he discovered how inadequate the available schoolbooks were for the children of a new and independent nation.In response to the need for truly American textbooks,Webster published A Grammatical Institute of the English Language,a three-volume work that consisted of a speller,a grammar,and a reader.The first volume,which was generally known as The American Spelling Book,was so popular that eventually it sold more than 80 million copies and provided him with a considerable income for the rest of his life.Can you imagine that?Anyway,in 1807,Noah Webster began his greatest work,An American Dictionary of the English Language.In preparing the manuscript,he devoted ten years to the study of English and its relationship to other languages,and seven more years to the writing itself. Published in two volumes in 1828,An American Dictionary of the English Language has become the recognized authority for usage in the United States.Webster's purpose in writing it was to demonstrate that the American language was developing distinct meanings,pronunciations,and spellings from those of British English. He is responsible for advancing many of the simplified spelling forms that distinguish American English from British.Webster was the first author to gain copyright protection in the United States by being awarded a copyright for The American Spelling Book and he continued to lobby over the next fifty years for the protection of intellectual properties,that is,for author's rights.By the time that Webster brought out the second edition of his dictionary,which included 70,000 entries instead of the original 38,000, the name Webster had become synonymous with American dictionaries.It was this second edition that served as the basis for the many revisions that have been produced by others, ironically,under the uncopyrighted Webster name.Published in 1828,An American Dictionary of the English Language is Noah Webster's greatest work.A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned

共用题干Few men have influenced the development of American English to the extent that Noah Webster did.After a short career in law,he turned to teaching,but he discovered how inadequate the available schoolbooks were for the children of a new and independent nation.In response to the need for truly American textbooks,Webster published A Grammatical Institute of the English Language,a three-volume work that consisted of a speller,a grammar,and a reader.The first volume,which was generally known as The American Spelling Book,was so popular that eventually it sold more than 80 million copies and provided him with a considerable income for the rest of his life.Can you imagine that?Anyway,in 1807,Noah Webster began his greatest work,An American Dictionary of the English Language.In preparing the manuscript,he devoted ten years to the study of English and its relationship to other languages,and seven more years to the writing itself. Published in two volumes in 1828,An American Dictionary of the English Language has become the recognized authority for usage in the United States.Webster's purpose in writing it was to demonstrate that the American language was developing distinct meanings,pronunciations,and spellings from those of British English. He is responsible for advancing many of the simplified spelling forms that distinguish American English from British.Webster was the first author to gain copyright protection in the United States by being awarded a copyright for The American Spelling Book and he continued to lobby over the next fifty years for the protection of intellectual properties,that is,for author's rights.By the time that Webster brought out the second edition of his dictionary,which included 70,000 entries instead of the original 38,000, the name Webster had become synonymous with American dictionaries.It was this second edition that served as the basis for the many revisions that have been produced by others, ironically,under the uncopyrighted Webster name.Noah Webster has been a teacher throughout his life.A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned

共用题干A Minor Microsurgery Last year,Sean Martinovich,from Whitianga,had life-saving surgery when a golf-sized tumor was removed from his brain stem.But the operation left half his face paralysed.He talked with a slur,sometimes dribbled(流 口水)out of the side of his mouth and could not close his eye properly.Although he could run around with the other boys in the playground,when they laughed he could not laugh with them.Without a smile,he could suffer psychologically and emotionally. Last week,6-year-old Sean had seven hours of microsurgery that should give him back his smile.Doctor Bartlett removed a nerve from the back of one of Sean's legs and transplanted it into his face.On the normal side of his face the nerve divides into lots of little branches."We'll cut those nerve branches and then we'll take a nerve graft from one leg and tunnel it across his face from one side to the other and join that on to the nerve that' s been cut on the good side of his face."Doctor Bartlett said before the operation."If this was not fixed he conld face physical and emotional problems as he got older,"Doctor Bartlett said."Socially people can become quite withdrawn because of the face paralysis.It's easy for people,especially children,to become rather emotionless because they prefer the flatness of no movement on either side to the weirdness of an asymmetry of smiling on one side and having this twisted face." Sean is not smiling yet.Over the next six months the nerves will grow across the face to the damaged side and after that movement will hopefully come back.Sean's parents,Steve and Wendy Martinovich,said they had been through a year of hell.But their son was a determined boy who just got on with it,said Mrs Martinovich.They are amazed at the technology that they hope will restore the cheeky smile they love so much.For Doctor Bartlett the microsurgery is almost routine.For Sean's parents,it is a miracle.The word"paralysed"in Paragraph 1 most probably means______.A:slur dribbledB:lost of feeling in or control of body musclesC:unable to open one's mouthD:psychologically and emotionally disabled

Jean Wagner′s most enduring contribution to the study of Afro-American poetry is his insistence that it( )in a religious,as well as worldly,frame of reference. A.is to be analyzed B.has been analyzed C.be analyzed D.should have been analyzed

问答题Practice 3  To the average person knowledge itself is of importance because of its bearing upon what he needs to do and to make. It helps him in clarifying his wants, in constructing his ends and in finding means for realizing them. There exist, in other words, values as well as known facts and principles, and philosophy is concerned primarily with values—with the ends for the sake of which man acts. Given the most extensive and accurate system of knowledge, man is still confronted with the question of what he is going to do about it and what he is going to do with the knowledge in his possession.

单选题Mark Twain’s contribution to the development of realism and to American literature as a whole was partly through his theories of localism in American fiction, and partly through _____.Ahis humorBhis satireChis colloquial styleDhis stories of adventures

单选题The republication of the poet's most recent works will certainly()his national reputation.AmagnifyBenlargeCstrengthenDenhance

问答题Practice 4  Charles Darwin didn’t want to murder God, as he once put it. But he did. He didn’t want to defy his fellow Cantabrigians, his gentlemanly Victorian society, his devout wife. But he did. He waited 20 years to publish his theory of natural selection, but—fittingly, after another scientist threatened to be first—he did.  Before Darwin, most people accepted some version of biblical creation. Humans were seen as the apotheosis of godly architecture. Humans could thus be an accident of natural selection, not a direct product of God. Worries about how much his theory would shake society exacerbated the strange illnesses he suffered. It’s also worth noting that Darwin’s life wasn’t Darwinian: he achieved his wealth through inheritance, not competition, and some might say his sickly children suffered because they were inbred.  Darwin’s theories still provoke opposition. One hundred and forty years after The Origin of Species, backers of creationism have made a comeback in states like Kansas, pushing evolution out of the schoolroom. Yet Darwinism remains one of the most successful scientific theories ever promulgated. There is hardly an element of humanity—not capitalism, not gender relations, certainly not biology—that can be fully understood without its help.

问答题Practice 3  On his 10-day trip to Asia this week, President George W. Bush is likely to get a polite reception for his ambitious agenda. He wants to rally allies to the war on terror, the confrontation with North Korea and the expansion of transpacific trade. He’ll be asking Japan and China to allow their currencies to get stronger, so they will find it cheaper to buy more goods from struggling US manufacturers. Neither the Japanese nor the Chinese will say no outright, but they won’t say yes, either. Below the polite ambiguities, something disturbing is happening, at least from an American viewpoint.  For all its military power, political clout and economic might, America could be losing its influence in what is arguably the most dynamic region of the world. Big changes are happening in Asia, for which America’s policies are increasingly out of step. Washington’s preoccupations—-the mess in Iraq, the jobless recovery and the escalating fiscal deficit at home—are not Asia’s preoccupations. When Bush looks into the future, he sees an American Century with a troubled story line dominated by the fight against terror. When Asians look into the future, they see an Asian Century dominated by rising prosperity and the emergence of China, with terror a minor subplot.

单选题The author most likely mentions James Joyce’s childhood, family, and education to serve what purpose?ATo suggest that he had to write in order to make a livingBTo suggest that he became a writer because of his father’s influenceCTo provide the background and cultural context for his literary workDTo provide evidence that his literary genius was present when he was a childETo explain his opposition to Catholicism and socialism in his later life

单选题In his “_____”, Dreiser’s focus shifted from the pathos of the helpless protagonists at the bottom of the society to the power of the American financial tycoons in the late 19th century.ASister CarrieBAn American TragedyCThe GeniusDTrilogy of Desire