Exercise 8
TEXT A
    People in the Italian city-states took a new interest in education, especially in the learning of ancient Greece and Rome. At the universities, theology, law, and medicine were traditionally the most highly respected subjects. However, during the Renaissance, scholars also stressed the studia humanitatis, the study of the humanities. The humanities included the subjects taught in ancient Greek and Roman schools--grammar, rhetoric, poetry, and history. Renaissance scholars who studied those subjects were called humanists.
    Renaissance humanists were practical people. They wanted to learn more about the world. By reading ancient texts, they rediscovered knowledge that had been lost or forgotten during the Middle Ages. Many were involved in politics and commerce, and they applied the new learning to daily matters. Most Renaissance humanists were also devout Christians. They felt that the study of the humanities enriched their lives as Christians beca
use it went beyond the dry, abstract works of medieval scholars.
    Renaissance scholars thought that education was the way to become a well-rounded individual. Only with a proper education they argued, could a person enjoy a full, rewarding life. One scholar advised a student:   
I beg you, take care. Add a little every day and gather things in. Remember; that these studies promise you enormous prizes both in the conduct of your life and the fame and glory of your name. Acquaint yourself with what pertains to life and manners--those things that are called humane studies because they perfect and adorn man.
    Such a philosophy expressed a basic feature of the Renaissance--belief in the importance of individual achievement, a much different attitude than that of the Middle Ages.
81. During the Renaissance, which subject was stressed?
    A. Theology.      B. Law.            C. Medicine.      D. Rhetoric.
82. We can learn in the second paragraph that
    A. humanists were interested in practical knowledge only
    B. humanists rediscovered knowledge by reading texts on the Middle Ages
    C. some of the Humanists were politicians and merchants
    D. the Humanists gave up their religious belief
83. The author's purpose of citing the scholar's advice is to illustrate
    A. the roles of the scholars
    B. a basic feature of the Renaissance
    C. the importance of individual achievement
    D. the difference between the Renaissance and the Middle Ages
84. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
    A. Study of Ancient Greece and Rome.    B. Study of the Humanities.
    C. The Practical Humanists.            D. The Renaissance.
TEXT B
    "People thought of themselves as having rights from companies," said Hoshua Freeman, a labor historian at Columbia University. That sense of entitlement grew even stronger in the early decades after World War II and collective bargaining became the arena for arguing out wages, pensions, health insurance, vacations, hours and job security.
    That system is disappearing today. Career-long attachments to one employer, a notionunions专四听力原文 born in the 1920's, are no longer the norm. The new class-consciousness makes less distinction between workers and managers. Rights are relative, at best. An increasingly conservative electorate has reduced government's role in regulating the economy. Unions have lost influence and membership.
    What people do is try to cope, by themselves, said Ms. Skelly, of DYG. Self-employment
is one solution, DYG's polls show, and that is a rising trend. "They try, on the job, to hide any weakness in their performance," she said. "They work longer hours and take work home, without letting the boss know, to give the impression that they can do difficult tasks quickly. There is nothing like, 'we are all in this together. ' There is too much competition. People talk of their weakness to friends and spouses, but not to coworkers. '
    And many Americans feel in their hearts that the unemployment might be justified. "There is a sense among people that we are inefficient and bloated," Ms. Skelly said. "And until they feel that is no longer true, they are reluctant to criticize the forces that are cutting out the fat and the inefficiencies."
85. It can be inferred from the second paragraph that
    A. people do not enjoy their rights nowadays
    B. people are more likely to change their jobs than they were in the 1920's
    C. workers and managers share the same rights today
    D. nowadays, people refuse to take part in the Union
86. According to Ms Skelly, which of the following is true?
    A. People like to work overtime.
    B. People want to work at home.
    C. People want to impress the boss with their capability and efficiency.

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