Passage 4 Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose productivity and social harmony are the envy of the United States and Europe. But increasingly the Japanese are seeing a decline of the traditional work-moral values. Ten years ago young people were hardworking and saw their jobs as their primary reason for being, but now Japan has largely fulfilled its economic needs, and young people don’t know where they should go next. The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market have limited the opportunities of teen-agers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved in climbing Japan’s rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs. In a recent survey, it was found that only 24.5 percent of Japanese students were fully satisfied with school life, compared with 67.2 percent of students in the United States. In addition, far more Japanese workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs than did their counterparts in the 10 other countries surveyed. While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self-expression." Those things that do not show up in the test scores personality, ability, courage or humanity are completely ignored," says Toshiki Kaifu, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s education committee." Frustration against this kind of thing leads kids to 0drop out and run wild." Last year Japan experienced2,125 incidents of school violence, including 929 assaults on teachers. Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return to the prewar emphasis on moral education. Last year Mitsuo Setoyama, who was then education minister, raised eyebrows when he argued that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities after World WarⅡhad weakened the "Japanese morality of respect for parents." But that may have more to do with Japanese life-stvles." In Japan," says educator Yoko Muro, "it’s never a question of whether you enjoy your job and your life, but only how much you can endure." With economic growth has come centralization. fully 76 percent of Japan’s 119 million citizens live in cities where community and the extended family have been abandoned in favor of isolated, two generation households. Urban Japanese have long endured lengthy commutes (travels to and from work)and crowded living conditions, but as the old group and family values weaken, the discomfort is beginning to tell. In the past decade, the Japanese divorce rate, while still well below that of the United States, has increased by more than 50 percent, and suicides have increased by nearly one-quarter. 63. In the Westerner’s eyes, the postwar Japan was_____ . [A] under aimless development [B] a positive example [C] a rival to the West [D] on the decline [答案] B [解题思路] 本题的对应信息在文章第一段第一句话"Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose productivity and social harmony are the envy of the United States and Europe"（战后日本的生产率和社会的和谐为美国和欧洲所称羡，因此很难说迷茫是战后日本的特征），同时第三段的第一句话"While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics"（虽然日本的教育因强调基础知识而经常受到外国人的赞扬）也是西方人对战后日本的正面评价，因此B选项为正确答案。A、C、D选项的意思都与原文相反，可以很容易排除。 [题目译文] 在西方人的眼里，战后的日本是 。 [A] 处于盲目的发展中 [B] 一个积极的例子 [C] 西方的一个对手 [D] 处于衰落状态 64. According to the author, what may chiefly be responsible for the moral decline of Japanese society? [A] Women’s participation in social activities is limited. [B] More workers are dissatisfied with their jobs. [C] Excessive emphasis his been placed on the basics. [D] The life-style has been influenced by Western values. [答案] D [解题思路] 本题需要将选项与原文作一一比较。A选项关于妇女就业的问题对应于第二段的第一句"The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market have limited the opportunities of teen-agers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved in climbing Japan’s rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs"（战后生育高峰期的到来及妇女进入男性主宰的就业市场，这些都限制了青少年的发展机遇，这些青少年已经开始质疑在进好学校学习，找好工作，攀登日本等级森严的社会阶梯的过程中所做出的沉重的个人牺牲是否值得），可见A选项不仅本身表述不符合原文，而且也与题干的moral decline无关。B选项对应于第二段的最后一句话"In addition, far more Japanese workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs than did their counterparts in the 10 other countries surveyed"（此外，与被调查的其他10个国家的工人相比，对自身工作表示不满的日本工人要多得多），其表面意思是正确的，但却同样与moroal decline无关。C选项对应于文章第三段第一句话"While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self-expression"（虽然日本的教育因强调基础知识而经常受到外国人的赞扬，但是它往往强调考试和机械学习而忽视了创造性和自我表现），但选项中excessive一词在原文中并没有体现，且没有直接提到这种教育对于道德下降的影响。D选型对应于第三段最后一句话"Last year Mitsuo Setoyama, who was then education minister, raised eyebrows when he argued that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities after World WarⅡhad weakened the "Japanese morality of respect for parents.""（去年，时任教育大臣的Mitsuo Setoyama就提出责难，他认为二战后美国占领当局引进的自由改革削弱了"日本人尊敬父母的道德观"）和第四段第一句话"But that may have more to do with Japanese life-stvles"（但是，那也许与日本人的生活方式关系更大），可见最大的因素是日本人生活方式的西化导致了道德水准的下滑。 [题目译文] 作者认为日本社会的道德败坏主要是由于什么原因？ [A] 妇女对社会活动的参与受到了限制。 [B] 更多的工人对他们的工作不满意。 [C] 过分重视打基础。 [D] 生活方式受到了西方价值观的影响。 65. Which of the following is true according to the author? [A] Japanese education is praised for helping the young climb the social ladder [B] Japanese education is characterized by mechanical learning as well as creativity. [C] More stress should be placed on the cultivation of creativity. [D] Dropping out leads to frustration against test taking. [答案] C [解题思路] 本题应把各选项与原文一一对应。A选项对应于第二段的第一句话"The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market have limited the opportunities of teen-agers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved in climbing Japan’s rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs"（战后生育高峰期的到来及妇女进入男性主宰的就业市场，这些都限制了青少年的发展机遇，这些青少年已经开始质疑在进好学校学习，找好工作，攀登日本等级森严的社会阶梯的过程中所做出的沉重的个人牺牲是否值得），但选项表述却与原文相反。B选型的说法与第三段的第一句话"While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self-expression"（虽然日本的教育因强调基础知识而经常受到外国人的赞扬，但是它往往强调考试和机械学习而忽视了创造性和自我表现）矛盾，因为日本教育的特点不是强调创造力。D选项对应于第三段第三句话"Frustration against this kind of thing leads kids to 0drop out and run wild"（由此产生的受挫感致使孩子辍学、放荡不羁），而选项正好颠倒了因果关系。C选项对应于第三段第一句话，这说明作者认为在培养创造力方面需要下更大的功夫，因此C是正确选项。 [题目译文] 下列哪一项符合作者的意思？ [A] 日本教育应为帮助年轻人爬上社会阶梯而受到了赞赏。 [B] 日本教育的特色包括机械学习和创造力。 [C] 应该更加强调创造能力的培养。 [D] 中途退学导致对于考试的挫败感。 66. The change in Japanese life-style is revealed in the fact that____ . [A] the young are less tolerant of discomforts in the fact that_____ . [B] the divorce rate in Japan exceeds that in the U.S. [C] the Japanese endure more than ever before [D] the Japanese appreciate their present life [答案] A [解题思路] 关于life-style的表述主要集中在文章的最后一段。通过最后两句话"Urban Japanese have long endured lengthy commutes (travels to and from work)and crowded living conditions, but as the old group and family values weaken, the discomfort is beginning to tell. In the past decade, the Japanese divorce rate, while still well below that of the United States, has increased by more than 50 percent, and suicides have increased by nearly one-quarter"（城市里的日本人长期忍受着漫长的上下班来回路程和拥挤不堪的居住条件，随着旧的群体家庭道德观的削弱，开始显现出一些令人担忧的结果。在过去10年中，日本的离婚率，尽管仍远远低于美国，已经上升了50％，而自杀率则上升了近20%），可以推断A选项符合题意，而B、C、D选项与原文意思相反。 [题目译文] 日本人生活方式的改变可以通过以下哪项事实反映出来？ [A] 年轻人对于生活中的不便更难忍受 [B] 日本的离婚率超过了美国 [C] 日本人要忍受比以前更多的东西 [D] 日本人更加欣赏现在的生活