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Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) - Reading Section 試験
【2024桜まつりキャンペーン】：PRAXIS Reading Section 最新真題を買う時、日本語版と英語版両方を同時に獲得できます。
実際の問題集を練習し、試験のポイントを了解し、テストに申し込むするかどうかを決めることができます。
さらに試験準備時間の35％を節約するには、PRAXIS Reading Section 問題集を使用してください。
Question No : 1
Read the following passages and answer the question.
Passage 1. Because it is filled with contradictions, performance is also filled with risk. This is the domain of stage fright. The actor is aware that appearing in front of an audience is a scary proposition. Maintaining the reality of the character is, in itself, a fragile affair; it demands of the actor a series of complex transformations. The actor has the unique problem of hiding and showing at the same time. The actor’s conscious fear is not about making a mistake, but about allowing the audience to see something that it is not supposed to see: namely, the performer’s fear, or stage fright. Passage 2. The term “stage fright” has largely dropped out of use, because we know now that dwelling on something this malevolent gives it power. If I tell you not to be afraid, you may dwell on your fear. If I say, do not think of fast-food burgers under any circumstances, a line of them will parade through your mind. The key to most fears is substitution. On the simplest level, you replace the ogre with something less menacing to fill your consciousness. If you will imagine yourself to be a host rather than an actor, and think more about the comfort of your listeners than their verdicts, everything will fall into place.
In the context of Passage 1, the phrase "Maintaining the reality of the character" most directly refers to:
正解:
Explanation:
Passage 1 suggests that “maintaining the reality of the character” involves the “unique problem of hiding and showing at the same time”. The text further suggests that the actor must not allow “the audience to see something it is not supposed to see: namely, the performer's fear, or stage fright”. This suggests that the actor must hide things that do not relate to the character and, by extension, show the audience only behavior relevant to the character.
Question No : 2
Read the following passages and answer the question.
Passage 1. Because it is filled with contradictions, performance is also filled with risk. This is the domain of stage fright. The actor is aware that appearing in front of an audience is a scary proposition. Maintaining the reality of the character is, in itself, a fragile affair; it demands of the actor a series of complex transformations. The actor has the unique problem of hiding and showing at the same time. The actor’s conscious fear is not about making a mistake, but about allowing the audience to see something that it is not supposed to see: namely, the performer’s fear, or stage fright. Passage 2. The term “stage fright” has largely dropped out of use, because we know now that dwelling on something this malevolent gives it power. If I tell you not to be afraid, you may dwell on your fear. If I say, do not think of fast-food burgers under any circumstances, a line of them will parade through your mind. The key to most fears is substitution. On the simplest level, you replace the ogre with something less menacing to fill your consciousness. If you will imagine yourself to be a host rather than an actor, and think more about the comfort of your listeners than their verdicts, everything will fall into place.
What is the best way to describe the purposes of the two passages?
正解:
Explanation:
Passage 1 discusses stage fright by focusing on the vulnerability of the actor, explaining why “appearing in front of an audience is a scary proposition”. So Passage 1 can be said to analyze a phenomenon. Passage 2 similarly addresses the experience of stage fright, but discusses ways of coping with it. So Passage 2 can be said to suggest a solution to a problem.
Question No : 3
Read the following passage and answer the question.
Cities across the world are essentially blends of smaller cultural environments that lead people to have vastly different experiences. Each city typically contains a broad spectrum of dining establishments along with various art institutions like museums and theaters. Yet with all these blends of dining, art and night lives, what is the one characteristic that can distinguish a city? History. The undeniably unique history of each city provides rich traditions and a bond between the local people that overshadows any other city’s mélange of dining and art institutions.
Which of the following would the author believe is the most important city attraction or characteristic?
正解:
Explanation:
The author clearly believes true, genuine history to be the paramount characteristic. Choice “The exquisite French restaurant in the European district” and choice “The Museum of Natural History” (restaurant and museum) are exactly what the author said weren’t as important as history (choice “The Museum of Natural History” is tricky, but it is still just a museum ― not natural history in its element).
Choice “Wrigley Field” refers to sports, despite the fact that Wrigley Field has much history tied to it; choice “A democratic government” is irrelevant as government is not nearly as important to a city’s cultural wealth as a historical monument. Choice “Ruins from the Berlin Wall and the local community” is a historical object and symbol; furthermore, the author refers to the local people that add to the cultural vibrancy. Choice “Ruins from the Berlin Wall and the local community” is the best option.
Question No : 4
Read the following passage and answer the question.
Cities across the world are essentially blends of smaller cultural environments that lead people to have vastly different experiences. Each city typically contains a broad spectrum of dining establishments along with various art institutions like museums and theaters. Yet with all these blends of dining, art and night lives, what is the one characteristic that can distinguish a city? History. The undeniably unique history of each city provides rich traditions and a bond between the local people that overshadows any other city’s mélange of dining and art institutions.
In context, which word most closely defines mélange?
正解:
Explanation:
The author selects words such as “spectrum” and “various” to refer to the dining and art institutions. Clearly mélange must be some sort of variety offering. Only choice “assortment” matches this definition.
Question No : 5
Read the following passage and answer the question.
In this passage, a Mexican American historian describes a technique she used as part of her research. Doña Teodora offered me yet another cup of strong, black coffee. The aroma of the big, paper-thin Sonoran tortillas filled the small, linoleum-covered kitchen, and I knew that with the coffee I would receive a buttered tortilla straight from the round, homemade comal (a flat, earthenware cooking pan) balanced on the gas-burning stove. For three days, from ten in the morning until early evening, I had been sitting in the same comfortable wooden chair, taking cup after cup of black coffee and consuming hot 10 tortillas. Doña Teodora was ninety years old, and although she would take occasional breaks from patting, extending, and turning over tortillas to let her cat in or out, it appeared that I was the only one exhausted at the end of the day. But once out, as I went over the notes, filed and organized the tape cassettes, exhilaration would set in. The intellectual and emotional excitement I had previously experienced when a pertinent document would suddenly appear now waned in comparison to the gestures and words, the joy and anger Doña Teodora offered. She had not written down her thoughts; but the ideas, recollections, and images evoked by her lively oral expression were jewels for anyone who wanted to know about the life of Mexicanas in booming mining towns on both sides of the Mexico-United States border in the early twentieth century. She never kept a diary. The thought of writing a memoir would have been put aside as presumptuous. But all her life Doña Teodora had lived amidst the telling and retelling of family stories. Genealogies of her own family as well as complete and up-to-date information of the marriages, births, and deaths of numerous families that made up her community were all well-kept memories. These chains of generations were fleshed out with recollections of the many events and tribulations of these families. Oral history had proven to be a fertile field for my research on the history of Mexicanas. My search had begun in libraries and archives-repositories of conventional history. The available sources were to be found in census reports, church records, directories, and other such statistical information. These, however, as important as they are, cannot provide one of the essential dimensions of history, the full narrative of the human experience that defies quantification and classification. In certain social groups, this gap can be filled with diaries, memoirs, letters, or even reports from others. In the case of Mexicans in the United States, one of the many devastating consequences of defeat and conquest has been that the traditional institutions that preserve and transfer culture (the documentation of the past) have ignored these personal written sources. The letters, writings, and documents of Mexican people have rarely, if ever, been included in archives, special collections, or libraries. At best, some centers have attempted to collect newspapers published by Mexicans, but the effort was started late. The historian who tries to reconstruct the past from newspapers is constantly frustrated because, although titles abound, collections are scarce and often incomplete. Although many hours of previous study and preparation had taken me to Doña Teodora's kitchen, I was initially unsure of my place. Was I really an insider or were the experiences that had made the lives of my interviewees such that, although I could speak Spanish and I am Mexican, I was still an outsider? I realized, nonetheless, that the richness and depth of the spoken word challenges the comforting theories and models of the social sciences. Mexican history challenges social-science models derived solely from victorious imperialistic experiences. Our history cannot be written without new sources. These sources will determine which concepts are needed to illuminate and interpret the past, and these concepts will emerge from the people themselves. This will permit the description of events and structures to assume a culturally relevant perspective, thus emphasizing the point of view of the Mexican people. The use of theoretical constructs must 75 follow the voices of the people who live the reality, consciously or not. For too long the experiences of women have been studied according to male-oriented sources and constructs. These must be questioned. For the history of Mexican people, the sources primarily exist in our own worlds. And it is here where we must begin. I often found that as the memory awakened, other sources would emerge. Boxes of letters, photographs, and even manuscripts and diaries would appear. Long-standing assumptions of illiteracy were shattered and had to be reexamined. I saw that constant reevaluation became the rule rather than the exception. I entered women's worlds created on the margin ― not only of Anglo life, but of, and outside of, the lives of their own fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, or priests, bosses, and bureaucrats.
The author indicates that the "concepts" originate:
正解:
Explanation:
The “concepts” will originate in the “new sources”, which, the passage implies, are the oral histories and personal written sources of ordinary people. These new sources of information “will determine which concepts are needed to illuminate and interpret the past, and these concepts will emerge from the people themselves”.
Question No : 6
Read the following passage and answer the question.
In this passage, a Mexican American historian describes a technique she used as part of her research. Doña Teodora offered me yet another cup of strong, black coffee. The aroma of the big, paper-thin Sonoran tortillas filled the small, linoleum-covered kitchen, and I knew that with the coffee I would receive a buttered tortilla straight from the round, homemade comal (a flat, earthenware cooking pan) balanced on the gas-burning stove. For three days, from ten in the morning until early evening, I had been sitting in the same comfortable wooden chair, taking cup after cup of black coffee and consuming hot 10 tortillas. Doña Teodora was ninety years old, and although she would take occasional breaks from patting, extending, and turning over tortillas to let her cat in or out, it appeared that I was the only one exhausted at the end of the day. But once out, as I went over the notes, filed and organized the tape cassettes, exhilaration would set in. The intellectual and emotional excitement I had previously experienced when a pertinent document would suddenly appear now waned in comparison to the gestures and words, the joy and anger Doña Teodora offered. She had not written down her thoughts; but the ideas, recollections, and images evoked by her lively oral expression were jewels for anyone who wanted to know about the life of Mexicanas in booming mining towns on both sides of the Mexico-United States border in the early twentieth century. She never kept a diary. The thought of writing a memoir would have been put aside as presumptuous. But all her life Doña Teodora had lived amidst the telling and retelling of family stories. Genealogies of her own family as well as complete and up-to-date information of the marriages, births, and deaths of numerous families that made up her community were all well-kept memories. These chains of generations were fleshed out with recollections of the many events and tribulations of these families. Oral history had proven to be a fertile field for my research on the history of Mexicanas. My search had begun in libraries and archives-repositories of conventional history. The available sources were to be found in census reports, church records, directories, and other such statistical information. These, however, as important as they are, cannot provide one of the essential dimensions of history, the full narrative of the human experience that defies quantification and classification. In certain social groups, this gap can be filled with diaries, memoirs, letters, or even reports from others. In the case of Mexicans in the United States, one of the many devastating consequences of defeat and conquest has been that the traditional institutions that preserve and transfer culture (the documentation of the past) have ignored these personal written sources. The letters, writings, and documents of Mexican people have rarely, if ever, been included in archives, special collections, or libraries. At best, some centers have attempted to collect newspapers published by Mexicans, but the effort was started late. The historian who tries to reconstruct the past from newspapers is constantly frustrated because, although titles abound, collections are scarce and often incomplete. Although many hours of previous study and preparation had taken me to Doña Teodora's kitchen, I was initially unsure of my place. Was I really an insider or were the experiences that had made the lives of my interviewees such that, although I could speak Spanish and I am Mexican, I was still an outsider? I realized, nonetheless, that the richness and depth of the spoken word challenges the comforting theories and models of the social sciences. Mexican history challenges social-science models derived solely from victorious imperialistic experiences. Our history cannot be written without new sources. These sources will determine which concepts are needed to illuminate and interpret the past, and these concepts will emerge from the people themselves. This will permit the description of events and structures to assume a culturally relevant perspective, thus emphasizing the point of view of the Mexican people. The use of theoretical constructs must 75 follow the voices of the people who live the reality, consciously or not. For too long the experiences of women have been studied according to male-oriented sources and constructs. These must be questioned. For the history of Mexican people, the sources primarily exist in our own worlds. And it is here where we must begin. I often found that as the memory awakened, other sources would emerge. Boxes of letters, photographs, and even manuscripts and diaries would appear. Long-standing assumptions of illiteracy were shattered and had to be reexamined. I saw that constant reevaluation became the rule rather than the exception. I entered women's worlds created on the margin ― not only of Anglo life, but of, and outside of, the lives of their own fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, or priests, bosses, and bureaucrats.
Which statement most accurately presents the author's sense of the relationship between the "spoken word" and the "theories and models of the social sciences"?
正解:
Explanation:
The author suggests that the spoken word can provide greater insight than the existing theories and models that are “derived solely from victorious imperialistic experiences”. These presently accepted theories and models are considered problematic by the author because they were developed without the insights of the Mexican people. She argues that “theoretical constructs must follow the voices of the people who live the reality”.
Question No : 7
Read the following passage and answer the question.
In this passage, a Mexican American historian describes a technique she used as part of her research. Doña Teodora offered me yet another cup of strong, black coffee. The aroma of the big, paper-thin Sonoran tortillas filled the small, linoleum-covered kitchen, and I knew that with the coffee I would receive a buttered tortilla straight from the round, homemade comal (a flat, earthenware cooking pan) balanced on the gas-burning stove. For three days, from ten in the morning until early evening, I had been sitting in the same comfortable wooden chair, taking cup after cup of black coffee and consuming hot 10 tortillas. Doña Teodora was ninety years old, and although she would take occasional breaks from patting, extending, and turning over tortillas to let her cat in or out, it appeared that I was the only one exhausted at the end of the day. But once out, as I went over the notes, filed and organized the tape cassettes, exhilaration would set in. The intellectual and emotional excitement I had previously experienced when a pertinent document would suddenly appear now waned in comparison to the gestures and words, the joy and anger Doña Teodora offered. She had not written down her thoughts; but the ideas, recollections, and images evoked by her lively oral expression were jewels for anyone who wanted to know about the life of Mexicanas in booming mining towns on both sides of the Mexico-United States border in the early twentieth century. She never kept a diary. The thought of writing a memoir would have been put aside as presumptuous. But all her life Doña Teodora had lived amidst the telling and retelling of family stories. Genealogies of her own family as well as complete and up-to-date information of the marriages, births, and deaths of numerous families that made up her community were all well-kept memories. These chains of generations were fleshed out with recollections of the many events and tribulations of these families. Oral history had proven to be a fertile field for my research on the history of Mexicanas. My search had begun in libraries and archives-repositories of conventional history. The available sources were to be found in census reports, church records, directories, and other such statistical information. These, however, as important as they are, cannot provide one of the essential dimensions of history, the full narrative of the human experience that defies quantification and classification. In certain social groups, this gap can be filled with diaries, memoirs, letters, or even reports from others. In the case of Mexicans in the United States, one of the many devastating consequences of defeat and conquest has been that the traditional institutions that preserve and transfer culture (the documentation of the past) have ignored these personal written sources. The letters, writings, and documents of Mexican people have rarely, if ever, been included in archives, special collections, or libraries. At best, some centers have attempted to collect newspapers published by Mexicans, but the effort was started late. The historian who tries to reconstruct the past from newspapers is constantly frustrated because, although titles abound, collections are scarce and often incomplete. Although many hours of previous study and preparation had taken me to Doña Teodora's kitchen, I was initially unsure of my place. Was I really an insider or were the experiences that had made the lives of my interviewees such that, although I could speak Spanish and I am Mexican, I was still an outsider? I realized, nonetheless, that the richness and depth of the spoken word challenges the comforting theories and models of the social sciences. Mexican history challenges social-science models derived solely from victorious imperialistic experiences. Our history cannot be written without new sources. These sources will determine which concepts are needed to illuminate and interpret the past, and these concepts will emerge from the people themselves. This will permit the description of events and structures to assume a culturally relevant perspective, thus emphasizing the point of view of the Mexican people. The use of theoretical constructs must 75 follow the voices of the people who live the reality, consciously or not. For too long the experiences of women have been studied according to male-oriented sources and constructs. These must be questioned. For the history of Mexican people, the sources primarily exist in our own worlds. And it is here where we must begin. I often found that as the memory awakened, other sources would emerge. Boxes of letters, photographs, and even manuscripts and diaries would appear. Long-standing assumptions of illiteracy were shattered and had to be reexamined. I saw that constant reevaluation became the rule rather than the exception. I entered women's worlds created on the margin ― not only of Anglo life, but of, and outside of, the lives of their own fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, or priests, bosses, and bureaucrats.
"Place" most nearly means:
正解:
Explanation:
A "role" is the position or the expected social behavior of an individual. When the author writes "I was initially unsure of my place", she is expressing uncertainty about how she should think of herself and about how she is perceived by Doña Teodora and other Mexican interviewees. In this context, "place" refers to her social "role." This is made clear in the subsequent text, when she wonders if, despite speaking Spanish and being Mexicana, she is an "insider" or an "outsider".
Question No : 8
Read the following passage and answer the question.
In this passage, a Mexican American historian describes a technique she used as part of her research. Doña Teodora offered me yet another cup of strong, black coffee. The aroma of the big, paper-thin Sonoran tortillas filled the small, linoleum-covered kitchen, and I knew that with the coffee I would receive a buttered tortilla straight from the round, homemade comal (a flat, earthenware cooking pan) balanced on the gas-burning stove. For three days, from ten in the morning until early evening, I had been sitting in the same comfortable wooden chair, taking cup after cup of black coffee and consuming hot 10 tortillas. Doña Teodora was ninety years old, and although she would take occasional breaks from patting, extending, and turning over tortillas to let her cat in or out, it appeared that I was the only one exhausted at the end of the day. But once out, as I went over the notes, filed and organized the tape cassettes, exhilaration would set in. The intellectual and emotional excitement I had previously experienced when a pertinent document would suddenly appear now waned in comparison to the gestures and words, the joy and anger Doña Teodora offered. She had not written down her thoughts; but the ideas, recollections, and images evoked by her lively oral expression were jewels for anyone who wanted to know about the life of Mexicanas in booming mining towns on both sides of the Mexico-United States border in the early twentieth century. She never kept a diary. The thought of writing a memoir would have been put aside as presumptuous. But all her life Doña Teodora had lived amidst the telling and retelling of family stories. Genealogies of her own family as well as complete and up-to-date information of the marriages, births, and deaths of numerous families that made up her community were all well-kept memories. These chains of generations were fleshed out with recollections of the many events and tribulations of these families. Oral history had proven to be a fertile field for my research on the history of Mexicanas. My search had begun in libraries and archives-repositories of conventional history. The available sources were to be found in census reports, church records, directories, and other such statistical information. These, however, as important as they are, cannot provide one of the essential dimensions of history, the full narrative of the human experience that defies quantification and classification. In certain social groups, this gap can be filled with diaries, memoirs, letters, or even reports from others. In the case of Mexicans in the United States, one of the many devastating consequences of defeat and conquest has been that the traditional institutions that preserve and transfer culture (the documentation of the past) have ignored these personal written sources. The letters, writings, and documents of Mexican people have rarely, if ever, been included in archives, special collections, or libraries. At best, some centers have attempted to collect newspapers published by Mexicans, but the effort was started late. The historian who tries to reconstruct the past from newspapers is constantly frustrated because, although titles abound, collections are scarce and often incomplete. Although many hours of previous study and preparation had taken me to Doña Teodora's kitchen, I was initially unsure of my place. Was I really an insider or were the experiences that had made the lives of my interviewees such that, although I could speak Spanish and I am Mexican, I was still an outsider? I realized, nonetheless, that the richness and depth of the spoken word challenges the comforting theories and models of the social sciences. Mexican history challenges social-science models derived solely from victorious imperialistic experiences. Our history cannot be written without new sources. These sources will determine which concepts are needed to illuminate and interpret the past, and these concepts will emerge from the people themselves. This will permit the description of events and structures to assume a culturally relevant perspective, thus emphasizing the point of view of the Mexican people. The use of theoretical constructs must 75 follow the voices of the people who live the reality, consciously or not. For too long the experiences of women have been studied according to male-oriented sources and constructs. These must be questioned. For the history of Mexican people, the sources primarily exist in our own worlds. And it is here where we must begin. I often found that as the memory awakened, other sources would emerge. Boxes of letters, photographs, and even manuscripts and diaries would appear. Long-standing assumptions of illiteracy were shattered and had to be reexamined. I saw that constant reevaluation became the rule rather than the exception. I entered women's worlds created on the margin ― not only of Anglo life, but of, and outside of, the lives of their own fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, or priests, bosses, and bureaucrats.
The "gap" can best be described as the distance between the:
正解:
Explanation:
The “gap” is discussed in the context of written sources and the pictures of life they represent. The author discovered that fact-based conventional records lacked “one of the essential dimensions of history, the full narrative of the human experience”. She suggests that “diaries, memoirs, and letters”, which are included in the category of “personal written sources”, would present that other viewpoint. The “gap” lies between these two types of sources.
Question No : 9
Read the following passage and answer the question.
In this passage, a Mexican American historian describes a technique she used as part of her research. Doña Teodora offered me yet another cup of strong, black coffee. The aroma of the big, paper-thin Sonoran tortillas filled the small, linoleum-covered kitchen, and I knew that with the coffee I would receive a buttered tortilla straight from the round, homemade comal (a flat, earthenware cooking pan) balanced on the gas-burning stove. For three days, from ten in the morning until early evening, I had been sitting in the same comfortable wooden chair, taking cup after cup of black coffee and consuming hot 10 tortillas. Doña Teodora was ninety years old, and although she would take occasional breaks from patting, extending, and turning over tortillas to let her cat in or out, it appeared that I was the only one exhausted at the end of the day. But once out, as I went over the notes, filed and organized the tape cassettes, exhilaration would set in. The intellectual and emotional excitement I had previously experienced when a pertinent document would suddenly appear now waned in comparison to the gestures and words, the joy and anger Doña Teodora offered. She had not written down her thoughts; but the ideas, recollections, and images evoked by her lively oral expression were jewels for anyone who wanted to know about the life of Mexicanas in booming mining towns on both sides of the Mexico-United States border in the early twentieth century. She never kept a diary. The thought of writing a memoir would have been put aside as presumptuous. But all her life Doña Teodora had lived amidst the telling and retelling of family stories. Genealogies of her own family as well as complete and up-to-date information of the marriages, births, and deaths of numerous families that made up her community were all well-kept memories. These chains of generations were fleshed out with recollections of the many events and tribulations of these families. Oral history had proven to be a fertile field for my research on the history of Mexicanas. My search had begun in libraries and archives-repositories of conventional history. The available sources were to be found in census reports, church records, directories, and other such statistical information. These, however, as important as they are, cannot provide one of the essential dimensions of history, the full narrative of the human experience that defies quantification and classification. In certain social groups, this gap can be filled with diaries, memoirs, letters, or even reports from others. In the case of Mexicans in the United States, one of the many devastating consequences of defeat and conquest has been that the traditional institutions that preserve and transfer culture (the documentation of the past) have ignored these personal written sources. The letters, writings, and documents of Mexican people have rarely, if ever, been included in archives, special collections, or libraries. At best, some centers have attempted to collect newspapers published by Mexicans, but the effort was started late. The historian who tries to reconstruct the past from newspapers is constantly frustrated because, although titles abound, collections are scarce and often incomplete. Although many hours of previous study and preparation had taken me to Doña Teodora's kitchen, I was initially unsure of my place. Was I really an insider or were the experiences that had made the lives of my interviewees such that, although I could speak Spanish and I am Mexican, I was still an outsider? I realized, nonetheless, that the richness and depth of the spoken word challenges the comforting theories and models of the social sciences. Mexican history challenges social-science models derived solely from victorious imperialistic experiences. Our history cannot be written without new sources. These sources will determine which concepts are needed to illuminate and interpret the past, and these concepts will emerge from the people themselves. This will permit the description of events and structures to assume a culturally relevant perspective, thus emphasizing the point of view of the Mexican people. The use of theoretical constructs must 75 follow the voices of the people who live the reality, consciously or not. For too long the experiences of women have been studied according to male-oriented sources and constructs. These must be questioned. For the history of Mexican people, the sources primarily exist in our own worlds. And it is here where we must begin. I often found that as the memory awakened, other sources would emerge. Boxes of letters, photographs, and even manuscripts and diaries would appear. Long-standing assumptions of illiteracy were shattered and had to be reexamined. I saw that constant reevaluation became the rule rather than the exception. I entered women's worlds created on the margin ― not only of Anglo life, but of, and outside of, the lives of their own fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, or priests, bosses, and bureaucrats.
In what sense are "census reports, church records, directories" inadequate?
正解:
Explanation:
The “census reports, church records and directories” are representative of the “available sources” that the author finds inadequate specifically because they “cannot provide one of the essential dimensions of history, the full narrative of the human experience”. That is, they do not tell the human side of the story.
Question No : 10
Read the following passage and answer the question.
In this passage, a Mexican American historian describes a technique she used as part of her research. Doña Teodora offered me yet another cup of strong, black coffee. The aroma of the big, paper-thin Sonoran tortillas filled the small, linoleum-covered kitchen, and I knew that with the coffee I would receive a buttered tortilla straight from the round, homemade comal (a flat, earthenware cooking pan) balanced on the gas-burning stove. For three days, from ten in the morning until early evening, I had been sitting in the same comfortable wooden chair, taking cup after cup of black coffee and consuming hot 10 tortillas. Doña Teodora was ninety years old, and although she would take occasional breaks from patting, extending, and turning over tortillas to let her cat in or out, it appeared that I was the only one exhausted at the end of the day. But once out, as I went over the notes, filed and organized the tape cassettes, exhilaration would set in. The intellectual and emotional excitement I had previously experienced when a pertinent document would suddenly appear now waned in comparison to the gestures and words, the joy and anger Doña Teodora offered. She had not written down her thoughts; but the ideas, recollections, and images evoked by her lively oral expression were jewels for anyone who wanted to know about the life of Mexicanas in booming mining towns on both sides of the Mexico-United States border in the early twentieth century. She never kept a diary. The thought of writing a memoir would have been put aside as presumptuous. But all her life Doña Teodora had lived amidst the telling and retelling of family stories. Genealogies of her own family as well as complete and up-to-date information of the marriages, births, and deaths of numerous families that made up her community were all well-kept memories. These chains of generations were fleshed out with recollections of the many events and tribulations of these families. Oral history had proven to be a fertile field for my research on the history of Mexicanas. My search had begun in libraries and archives-repositories of conventional history. The available sources were to be found in census reports, church records, directories, and other such statistical information. These, however, as important as they are, cannot provide one of the essential dimensions of history, the full narrative of the human experience that defies quantification and classification. In certain social groups, this gap can be filled with diaries, memoirs, letters, or even reports from others. In the case of Mexicans in the United States, one of the many devastating consequences of defeat and conquest has been that the traditional institutions that preserve and transfer culture (the documentation of the past) have ignored these personal written sources. The letters, writings, and documents of Mexican people have rarely, if ever, been included in archives, special collections, or libraries. At best, some centers have attempted to collect newspapers published by Mexicans, but the effort was started late. The historian who tries to reconstruct the past from newspapers is constantly frustrated because, although titles abound, collections are scarce and often incomplete. Although many hours of previous study and preparation had taken me to Doña Teodora's kitchen, I was initially unsure of my place. Was I really an insider or were the experiences that had made the lives of my interviewees such that, although I could speak Spanish and I am Mexican, I was still an outsider? I realized, nonetheless, that the richness and depth of the spoken word challenges the comforting theories and models of the social sciences. Mexican history challenges social-science models derived solely from victorious imperialistic experiences. Our history cannot be written without new sources. These sources will determine which concepts are needed to illuminate and interpret the past, and these concepts will emerge from the people themselves. This will permit the description of events and structures to assume a culturally relevant perspective, thus emphasizing the point of view of the Mexican people. The use of theoretical constructs must 75 follow the voices of the people who live the reality, consciously or not. For too long the experiences of women have been studied according to male-oriented sources and constructs. These must be questioned. For the history of Mexican people, the sources primarily exist in our own worlds. And it is here where we must begin. I often found that as the memory awakened, other sources would emerge. Boxes of letters, photographs, and even manuscripts and diaries would appear. Long-standing assumptions of illiteracy were shattered and had to be reexamined. I saw that constant reevaluation became the rule rather than the exception. I entered women's worlds created on the margin ― not only of Anglo life, but of, and outside of, the lives of their own fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, or priests, bosses, and bureaucrats.
The author's comments in the third paragraph suggest that her research project resembles more conventional research.
正解:
Explanation:
The author identifies the starting point of her research project when she writes “My search had begun in libraries and archives-repositories of conventional history”. In these places, she discovered that the “available sources were to be found in census reports, church records, directories, and other such statistical information”. These sources all share the characteristic of being written public materials.
Question No : 11
Read the following passage and answer the question.
Swimming has developed from a primal mode of movement to an advanced hobby and competitive sport. Exercising nearly every muscle group, swimming is a rigorous sport and requires intense training. In competitions, swimmers typically contend for the fastest time to complete a certain distance by performing a specific swimming stroke. Also, swimmers work to build endurance and an ability to swim over long distances. Because swimming has developed into a highly intricate competitive sport, where one wrong technique can disqualify a participant, it is interesting to ponder how the sport will evolve for people in the future, either advancing into a progressive purpose or regressing to a primal mode of movement.
Which of the following situations would fulfill the author’s prophecy for swimming?
正解:
Explanation:
This question refers you to the conclusion sentence. The author states clearly that swimming must either progress into a new form or regress to the primal mode of movement. Choice “Swimming remains a competitive Olympic sport” and “People swim in home and community pools to relax and exercise” can be eliminated because they show no change, just a continuation of current circumstances. Choice “Humans settling on the moon use swimming techniques to move through space” is an actual possibility as humans may very well be settling in outer space in the future. Choice “Animals, including amphibians, begin to swim instinctively upon birth, as a dominant genetic trait” and “Fish begin swimming at unprecedented speeds and extend the average life span” refer to animals anyway, when the author specifically was predicting a future for humans. Choice “Humans settling on the moon use swimming techniques to move through space” is the most realistic and relevant prophecy according to the premises developed by the author.
Question No : 12
Read the following passage and answer the question.
Swimming has developed from a primal mode of movement to an advanced hobby and competitive sport. Exercising nearly every muscle group, swimming is a rigorous sport and requires intense training. In competitions, swimmers typically contend for the fastest time to complete a certain distance by performing a specific swimming stroke. Also, swimmers work to build endurance and an ability to swim over long distances. Because swimming has developed into a highly intricate competitive sport, where one wrong technique can disqualify a participant, it is interesting to ponder how the sport will evolve for people in the future, either advancing into a progressive purpose or regressing to a primal mode of movement.
The structure of this passage could be best described in what way?
正解:
Explanation:
The passage begins by introducing swimming, narrowing it down to competitive sports and then expanding the concept to figure out what swimming will turn into in the future. Choice “An activity narrowed to a specific purpose and expanded to consider future implications” and choice “An activity narrowed to a specific purpose and expanded to consider future deviations” are close in meaning, but choice “An activity narrowed to a specific purpose and expanded to consider future implications” refers to implications, or effects, rather than deviations, or different versions resulting from changes. This minor change separates the two choices and makes “An activity narrowed to a specific purpose and expanded to consider future deviations” superior. Choice “An activity and its purposes are explained” is relevant, but it does not include the entire scope of the passage. Choice “A supposition regarding the prospect of an activity, analyzed for viability” only focuses on the conclusion and stretches beyond what the passage actually accomplishes. Choice “An activity narrowed to a specific purpose and expanded to consider future deviations” is the best.
Question No : 13
Read the following passage and answer the question.
Disequilibrium at the interface of water and air is a factor on which the transfer of heat and water vapor from the ocean to the air depends. The air within about a millimeter of the water is almost saturated with water vapor and the temperature of the air is close to that of the surface water. Irrespective of how small these differences might be, they are crucial, and the disequilibrium is maintained by air near the surface mixing with air higher up, which is typically appreciably cooler and lower in water vapor content. The turbulence, which takes its energy from the wind mixes the air. As the speed of wind increases, so does the turbulence, and consequently the rate of heat and moisture transfer. We can arrive at a detailed understanding of this phenomenon after further study. The transfer of momentum from wind to water, which occurs when waves are formed is an interacting-and complicated phenomenon. When waves are made by the wind, it transfers important amounts of energy-energy, which is consequently not available for the production of turbulence.
This passage principally intends to:
正解:
Explanation:
The answer is “attempt a description of a phenomenon”, because in the passage they author starts to describe what a phenomenon.
Question No : 14
Read the following passage and answer the question.
Greek mythology is a vehicle that uses mythological characters and creatures to teach people about the dangers, beauties and possible outcomes of life. In many myths, characters face moral dilemmas involving honor and practicality. The protagonists of epics face creatures that represent values and challenges such as respect, temptation and redemption.
How has Greek mythology inevitably evolved with time and new storytellers? Scholars that have interpreted Greek mythology seek to maintain the universal values conveyed in these stories, while ensuring the validity of adapting these stories to their own distinct cultures. It is up to each reader to seek their own truths and learn from epic Greek mythology as best they can. According to the author’s description, which of the following is most likely to be a message from Greek mythology? Love is difficult, but it will last if the lovers are meant to be together. Resisting temptation and immediate gratification will lead to ultimate success. It is important to keep track of your personal history. Passing down Greek mythology has taken on a new form since oral records faded. It is not the fastest, but the longest lasting that wins the race.
Which word best describes the author’s account of Greek mythology?
正解:
Explanation:
The author describes the high moral lessons learned from Greek mythology and how epics can instill key values in readers. Greek mythology was also rife with sexual encounters and dirty human actions. The author conveys strictly positive characteristics about epics and their utility. Clearly, the author’s account is idealistic. Choice “idealistic” is the best. Because the author is neither pessimistic (choice “pessimistic”) nor doubtful, or dubious (choice “dubious”), one can then look at choice “idealistic”, “critical” and “mysterious”. The author does not really criticize Greek mythology; in fact, the author praises it. Also, the author’s account, or description, of Greek mythology is not mysterious; although, the actual mythology may very well be mysterious. Only choice “idealistic”, idealistic, captures the sentiment attached to the author’s account of Greek mythology.
Question No : 15
Read the following passage and answer the question.
Greek mythology is a vehicle that uses mythological characters and creatures to teach people about the dangers, beauties and possible outcomes of life. In many myths, characters face moral dilemmas involving honor and practicality. The protagonists of epics face creatures that represent values and challenges such as respect, temptation and redemption.
How has Greek mythology inevitably evolved with time and new storytellers? Scholars that have interpreted Greek mythology seek to maintain the universal values conveyed in these stories, while ensuring the validity of adapting these stories to their own distinct cultures. It is up to each reader to seek their own truths and learn from epic Greek mythology as best they can. According to the author’s description, which of the following is most likely to be a message from Greek mythology? Love is difficult, but it will last if the lovers are meant to be together. Resisting temptation and immediate gratification will lead to ultimate success. It is important to keep track of your personal history. Passing down Greek mythology has taken on a new form since oral records faded. It is not the fastest, but the longest lasting that wins the race.
According to the author’s description, which of the following is most likely to be a message from Greek mythology?
正解:
Explanation:
Although almost each of these messages (except choice “Passing down Greek mythology has taken on a new form since oral records faded”) is valid and could be interpreted from Greek mythology, only one fits the author’s description. The author explicitly mentions “dangers,” “outcomes of life” and “temptation. Choice “Resisting temptation and immediate gratification will lead to ultimate success” clearly mentions temptation, which is a danger, and how it affects your outcome in life (ultimate success). Choice “Love is difficult, but it will last if the lovers are meant to be together” and choice “It is not the fastest, but the longest lasting that wins the race” are compelling choices, but the author does not make as direct of a reference to these lessons. Choice “Resisting temptation and immediate gratification will lead to ultimate success” is the best choice.