26. The writer suggests that there is no sense in buying the latest volume
［A］ because it is not worth the price.
［B］ because it has fewer entries than before.
［C］ unless one has all the volumes in the collection.
［D］ unless an expanded DNB will come out shortly.
27. On the issue of who should be included in the DNB, the writer seems to suggest that
［A］ the editors had clear roles to follow.
［B］ there were too many criminals in the entries.
［C］ the editors clearly favoured benefactors.
［D］ the editors were irrational in their choices.
28. Crippen was absent from the DNB
［A］ because he escaped to the U.S.
［B］ because death sentence had been abolished.
［C］ for reasons not clarified.
［D］ because of the editors- mistake.
29. The author quoted a few entries in the last paragraph to
［A］ illustrate some features of the DNB.
［B］ give emphasis to his argument.
［C］ impress the reader with its content.
［D］ highlight the people in the Middle Ages.
30. On the whole, the writer’s tone towards the DNB was
［A］ complimentary.［B］ supportive.
［C］ disapproval.［D］ bitter.
Text 3
Surprisingly enough, modern historians have rarely interested themselves in the history of the American South in the period before the South began to become self-consciously and distinctively “Southern”-the decades after 1815. Consequently, the cultural history of Britain’s North American empire in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries has been written almost as if the Southern colonies had never existed. The American culture that emerged during the Colonial and Revolutionary eras has been depicted as having been simply an extension of New England Puritan culture. However, Professor Davis has recently argued that the South stood apart from the rest of American society during this early period, following its own unique pattern of cultural development. The case for Southern distinctiveness rests upon two related premises: first, that the cultural similarities among the five Southern colonies were far more impressive than the differences, and second, that what made those colonies alike also made them different from the other colonies. The first, for which Davis offers an enormous amount of evidence, can be accepted without major reservations; the second is far more problematic.
What makes the second premise problematic is the use of the Puritan colonies as a basis for comparison. Quite properly, Davis decries the excessive influence ascribed by historians to the Puritans in the formation of American culture. Yet Davis inadvertently adds weight to such ascriptions by using the Puritans as the standard against which to assess the achievements and contributions of Southern colonials. Throughout, Davis focuses on the important, and undeniable, differences between the Southern and Puritan colonies in motives for and patterns of early settlement, in attitudes toward nature and Native Americans, and in the degree of receptivity to metropolitan cultural influences.
However, recent scholarship has strongly suggested that those aspects of early New England culture that seem to have been most distinctly Puritan, such as the strong religious orientation and the communal impulse, were not even typical of New England as a whole, but were largely confined to the two colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Thus, what in contrast to the Puritan colonies appears to Davis to be peculiarly Southern-acquisitiveness, a strong interest in politics and the law, and a tendency to cultivate metropolitan cultural models-was not only more typically English than the cultural patterns exhibited by Puritan Massachusetts and Connecticut, but also almost certainly characteristic of most other early modern British colonies from Barbados north to Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Within the larger framework of American colonial life, then, not the Southern but the Puritan colonies appear to have been distinctive, and even they seem to have been rapidly assimilating to the dominant cultural patterns by the last Colonial period.
31. The author is primarily concerned with
［A］ refuting a claim about the influence of Puritan culture on the early American South.
［B］ refuting a thesis about the distinctiveness of the culture of the early American South.
［C］ refuting the two premises that underlie Davis- discussion of the culture of the American South.
［D］ challenging the hypothesis that early American culture was homogeneous in nature.
32. The passage implies that the attitudes toward Native Americans that prevailed in the Southern colonies
［A］ developed as a response to attitudes that prevailed in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
［B］ derived from Southerners-strong interest in the law.
［C］ were modeled after those that prevailed in the North.
［D］ differed from those that prevailed in the Puritan colonies.
33. The author argues that, in describing American culture during the Colonial and Revolutionary eras, historians
［A］ overestimated the importance of the puritans in the development of American culture.
［B］ did not attach enough importance to the strong religious orientation of the colonists.
［C］ failed to recognize undeniable cultural differences between New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
［D］ used Massachusetts and Connecticut as cultural models for the other American colonies.
34. Which of the following elements of Davis book is the author in agreement with?
［A］ Acquisitiveness was a characteristic unique to the South during the Colonial period.
［B］ There were significant differences between Puritan and Southern culture during the Colonial period.
［C］ The Southern colonies shared a common culture.
［D］ The Northern colonies shared a homogeneous culture.
35. The passage suggests that by the late Colonial period the tendency to cultivate metropolitan cultural models was a cultural pattern that was
［A］ dying out as Puritan influence began to grow.
［B］ self-consciously and distinctively Southern.
［C］ spreading to Massachusetts and Connecticut.
［D］ more characteristic of the Southern colonies than of England.
Text 4
During the last three years, many speculated high about the possible intrusions concerning the corporate computing systems and global computing infrastructure. Fortunately, such and many other frightening predictions did not come true. Surely, technology is the prime reason for this achievement but at the core lies the work environment and the human factor.
We have seen that IT leaders in almost all areas have enormously reduced their expenses by adopting winning solutions provided by today’s security vendors. Does this mean technology alone is sufficient to deliver? No, in the truest sense, policies, their enforcement, along with education and training provide a winning combination to secure corporate computing.
As far as technology is concerned, due credit goes to security vendors and service providers for shielding users in many ways, from desktop antivirus software to integrated security appliances. Also, myths about the role played by operating systems in security have finally died out. Almost all OS vendors such as Microsoft, IBM, Sun, Red Hat, etc. have earned trust and recognition with their installed systems, suggesting that security is not a feature of an operating system.
The recently conducted 2003 InfoWorld Security Survey of more than 500 IT executives and strategists reveals that around 49 percent of reader respondents felt confidence in their systems-performance with fifty-two percent observing fewer than 100 attempts against their networks in the past year. This highlights the role of policies, enforcement, and positive culture in shielding away security breaches. In today’s IT culture, playing a black-hat is no longer desirable; rather it leads to quick apprehension and strict punishment with years to be spent behind the bars. Alternatively, one can earn both career and recognition by helping out the industry with ways and means of fighting security breaches and hostile attacks-this way of looking into the matter is rapidly gaining support by many.
Training is another important concern for IT leaders-it includes training to avert human error and improve overall security practices. Unfortunately, a large part, 79 percent, of InfoWorld 2003 Security Survey respondents felt their corporation employees and users underestimated the importance of adhering to their company’s security policies. It’s critical not to underestimate the role of sound security practices since employees and users shape the needs for enterprise services.
Two other elements must also be kept in consideration: rigorous education and awareness of security requirements and significant number of staff to monitor and enforce security practices in the enterprise, the need for which is stronger than ever since many enterprises today handle security internally. All this underscores greater demand for training and education for securityrelated workers.
36. Which of the following elements is the most critical to online security according to the author?
［A］ because it is not worth the price.
［B］ because it has fewer entries than before.
［C］ unless one has all the volumes in the collection.
［D］ unless an expanded DNB will come out shortly.
27. On the issue of who should be included in the DNB, the writer seems to suggest that
［A］ the editors had clear roles to follow.
［B］ there were too many criminals in the entries.
［C］ the editors clearly favoured benefactors.
［D］ the editors were irrational in their choices.
28. Crippen was absent from the DNB
［A］ because he escaped to the U.S.
［B］ because death sentence had been abolished.
［C］ for reasons not clarified.
［D］ because of the editors- mistake.
29. The author quoted a few entries in the last paragraph to
［A］ illustrate some features of the DNB.
［B］ give emphasis to his argument.
［C］ impress the reader with its content.
［D］ highlight the people in the Middle Ages.
30. On the whole, the writer’s tone towards the DNB was
［A］ complimentary.［B］ supportive.
［C］ disapproval.［D］ bitter.
Text 3
Surprisingly enough, modern historians have rarely interested themselves in the history of the American South in the period before the South began to become self-consciously and distinctively “Southern”-the decades after 1815. Consequently, the cultural history of Britain’s North American empire in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries has been written almost as if the Southern colonies had never existed. The American culture that emerged during the Colonial and Revolutionary eras has been depicted as having been simply an extension of New England Puritan culture. However, Professor Davis has recently argued that the South stood apart from the rest of American society during this early period, following its own unique pattern of cultural development. The case for Southern distinctiveness rests upon two related premises: first, that the cultural similarities among the five Southern colonies were far more impressive than the differences, and second, that what made those colonies alike also made them different from the other colonies. The first, for which Davis offers an enormous amount of evidence, can be accepted without major reservations; the second is far more problematic.
What makes the second premise problematic is the use of the Puritan colonies as a basis for comparison. Quite properly, Davis decries the excessive influence ascribed by historians to the Puritans in the formation of American culture. Yet Davis inadvertently adds weight to such ascriptions by using the Puritans as the standard against which to assess the achievements and contributions of Southern colonials. Throughout, Davis focuses on the important, and undeniable, differences between the Southern and Puritan colonies in motives for and patterns of early settlement, in attitudes toward nature and Native Americans, and in the degree of receptivity to metropolitan cultural influences.
However, recent scholarship has strongly suggested that those aspects of early New England culture that seem to have been most distinctly Puritan, such as the strong religious orientation and the communal impulse, were not even typical of New England as a whole, but were largely confined to the two colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Thus, what in contrast to the Puritan colonies appears to Davis to be peculiarly Southern-acquisitiveness, a strong interest in politics and the law, and a tendency to cultivate metropolitan cultural models-was not only more typically English than the cultural patterns exhibited by Puritan Massachusetts and Connecticut, but also almost certainly characteristic of most other early modern British colonies from Barbados north to Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Within the larger framework of American colonial life, then, not the Southern but the Puritan colonies appear to have been distinctive, and even they seem to have been rapidly assimilating to the dominant cultural patterns by the last Colonial period.
31. The author is primarily concerned with
［A］ refuting a claim about the influence of Puritan culture on the early American South.
［B］ refuting a thesis about the distinctiveness of the culture of the early American South.
［C］ refuting the two premises that underlie Davis- discussion of the culture of the American South.
［D］ challenging the hypothesis that early American culture was homogeneous in nature.
32. The passage implies that the attitudes toward Native Americans that prevailed in the Southern colonies
［A］ developed as a response to attitudes that prevailed in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
［B］ derived from Southerners-strong interest in the law.
［C］ were modeled after those that prevailed in the North.
［D］ differed from those that prevailed in the Puritan colonies.
33. The author argues that, in describing American culture during the Colonial and Revolutionary eras, historians
［A］ overestimated the importance of the puritans in the development of American culture.
［B］ did not attach enough importance to the strong religious orientation of the colonists.
［C］ failed to recognize undeniable cultural differences between New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
［D］ used Massachusetts and Connecticut as cultural models for the other American colonies.
34. Which of the following elements of Davis book is the author in agreement with?
［A］ Acquisitiveness was a characteristic unique to the South during the Colonial period.
［B］ There were significant differences between Puritan and Southern culture during the Colonial period.
［C］ The Southern colonies shared a common culture.
［D］ The Northern colonies shared a homogeneous culture.
35. The passage suggests that by the late Colonial period the tendency to cultivate metropolitan cultural models was a cultural pattern that was
［A］ dying out as Puritan influence began to grow.
［B］ self-consciously and distinctively Southern.
［C］ spreading to Massachusetts and Connecticut.
［D］ more characteristic of the Southern colonies than of England.
Text 4
During the last three years, many speculated high about the possible intrusions concerning the corporate computing systems and global computing infrastructure. Fortunately, such and many other frightening predictions did not come true. Surely, technology is the prime reason for this achievement but at the core lies the work environment and the human factor.
We have seen that IT leaders in almost all areas have enormously reduced their expenses by adopting winning solutions provided by today’s security vendors. Does this mean technology alone is sufficient to deliver? No, in the truest sense, policies, their enforcement, along with education and training provide a winning combination to secure corporate computing.
As far as technology is concerned, due credit goes to security vendors and service providers for shielding users in many ways, from desktop antivirus software to integrated security appliances. Also, myths about the role played by operating systems in security have finally died out. Almost all OS vendors such as Microsoft, IBM, Sun, Red Hat, etc. have earned trust and recognition with their installed systems, suggesting that security is not a feature of an operating system.
The recently conducted 2003 InfoWorld Security Survey of more than 500 IT executives and strategists reveals that around 49 percent of reader respondents felt confidence in their systems-performance with fifty-two percent observing fewer than 100 attempts against their networks in the past year. This highlights the role of policies, enforcement, and positive culture in shielding away security breaches. In today’s IT culture, playing a black-hat is no longer desirable; rather it leads to quick apprehension and strict punishment with years to be spent behind the bars. Alternatively, one can earn both career and recognition by helping out the industry with ways and means of fighting security breaches and hostile attacks-this way of looking into the matter is rapidly gaining support by many.
Training is another important concern for IT leaders-it includes training to avert human error and improve overall security practices. Unfortunately, a large part, 79 percent, of InfoWorld 2003 Security Survey respondents felt their corporation employees and users underestimated the importance of adhering to their company’s security policies. It’s critical not to underestimate the role of sound security practices since employees and users shape the needs for enterprise services.
Two other elements must also be kept in consideration: rigorous education and awareness of security requirements and significant number of staff to monitor and enforce security practices in the enterprise, the need for which is stronger than ever since many enterprises today handle security internally. All this underscores greater demand for training and education for securityrelated workers.
36. Which of the following elements is the most critical to online security according to the author?