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The question of “identity” is being vigorously debated in social theory. In essence, the argument is that the old identities which stabilized the social world for so long are in decline, giving rise to new identities and fragmenting the modem individual as a unified subject. (1) This so-called “crisis of identity” is seen as part of a wider process of change which is dislocating the central structures and processes of modern societies and undermining the frameworks which gave individuals stable anchorage in the social world.Our aim is to explore some of these questions about cultural identity in Iate-modernity and to assess whether a “crisis of identities” exists, what it consists of, and in which directions it is moving. We should address such questions as: What do we mean by a “crisis of identity”? What recent developments in modern societies have precipitated it? What form does it take? What are its potential consequences? Definitely, we ai.e willing to develop our argument with respect to those aspects of our cultural identities which arise from our “belonging” to distinctive ethnic, racial, linguistic,religious and,above all, national cultiii.es.(2) We believe that modern identities are breaking up. A distinctive type of structural change is transforming modern societies in the late twentieth century. This is fragmenting the cultural landscapes of class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race and nationality which gave us firm locations as social individuals. These transformations are also shifting our personal identities, undennining oui. sense of ourselves as integrated subjects. (3)This loss of a stable “sense of self’ is something called the dislocation or de-centring of the subject. This set of double displacements——decentring individuals both from their places in the social and cultural world, and from themselves—constitutes a “crisis of identity” for the individual. As the cultural critic, Kobena Mercer observes, “identity now becomes an issue when it is in crisis, when something assumed to be fixed, coherent and stable is displaced bv the experience of doubt and uncertainty.’’(4)The post-modern subject and identity are conceptualized as having, no fixed,essential or permanent ones. In this wav, identity becomes a “moveable feast’’,and the fullv unified,completed, secure and coherent identity in this context is a fantasy. (5)Instead, as the systems of meaning and cultural representation multiply, we are confronted by a bewildering, fleeting multiplicity of possible identities. At the same time, a further aspect of the issue of identity relates to the character of change in Iate-modernity, in particular, to that process of change known as globalization.

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Some pessimistic experts feel that the automobile is bound to fall into disuse. They see a day in the not-too-distant future when all autos will be abandoned and allowed to rust. Other authorities, however, think the auto is here to stay. They hold that the car will remain a leading means of urban travel in the foreseeable future.The motorcar will undoubtedly change significantly over the next 30 years. It should become smaller, safer, and more economical, and should not be powered by the gasoline engine. The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present types.Regardless of its power source, the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion. One proposed solution to this problem is the automated highway system.When the auto enters the highway system, a retractable arm will drop from the auto and make contact with a rail, which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically. Once attached to the rail, the car will become electrically powered from the system, and control of the vehicle will pass to a central computer. The computer will then monitor all of the car’s movements.The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system. The computer will calculate the best route, and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the highway. The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer that will warn him of his coming exit. It is estimated that an automated highway will be able to handle 10,000 vehicles per hour, compared with the 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles that can be carried by a present-day highway.1. One significant improvement in the future car will probably be( ).2. What is the author’s main concern?3. What provides autos with electric power in an automated highway system?4. In an automated highway system, all the driver needs to do is( ).5. What is the author’s attitude toward the future of autos?

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In the old days, children were familiar with birth and death as part of life. This is perhaps the first generation of American youngsters who have never been close by during the birth of a baby and have never experienced the death of a family member.Nowadays when people grow old, we often send them to nursing homes. When they get sick we transfer them to a hospital, where children are forbidden to visit terminally ill patients ----even when those patients are their parents. This deprives the dying patient of significant family members during the last few days of his life and it deprives the children of an experience of death, which is an important learning experience.Some of my colleagues and I once interviewed and followed approximately 500 terminally ill patients in order to find out what they could teach us and how we could be of more benefit, not just to them but to the members of their families as well. We were most impressed by the fact that even those patients who were not told of their serious illness were quite aware of its potential outcome.It is important for family members, and doctors and nurses to understand these patients’ communications in order to truly understand their needs, fears, and fantasies. Most of our patients welcomed another human being with whom they could talk openly, honestly, and frankly about their trouble. Many of them shared with us their tremendous need to be informed, to be kept up-to-date on their medical condition and to be told when the end was near. We found out that patients who had been dealt with openly and frankly were better able to cope with the approach of death and finally to reach a true stage of acceptance prior to death.1. The elders of contemporary Americans( ).2. Children in America today are denied the chance( ).3. Five hundred critically ill patients were investigated with the main purpose of( ).4. The need of a dying patient for company shows( ).5. It may be concluded from the passage that( ).

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A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United State as settlement spread ever farther westward. The early trains were impractical curiosities, and for a long time the railroad companies met with troublesome mechanical problems. The most serious ones were the construction of rails able to bear the load, and the development of a safe, affective stopping system. Once these were solved, the railroad was established as the best means of land transportation. By 1860 there were thousands of miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges and reaching westward to the Mississippi. There were also regional southern and western lines.The high point in railroad building came with the construction of the first transcontinental system. In 1862 Congress authorized two western railroad companies to build lines from Nebraska westward and from California eastward to a meeting point, so as to complete a transcontinental crossing linking the Atlantic seaboard with the Pacific. The Government helped the railroads generously with money and land. Actual work on this project began four years later. The Central Pacific Company, starting from California, used Chinese labor, while the Union Pacific employed crews of Irish laborers. The two groups worked at remarkable speed, each trying to cover a greater distance than the other. In 1869 they met at a place called Promontory in what is now the state of Utah. Many visitors came there for the great occasion. There were joyous celebrations all over the country, with parades and the ringing of church bells to honor the great achievement.The railroad was very important in encouraging westward movement. It also helped build up industry and farming by moving raw materials and by distributing products rapidly to distant markets. In linking towns and people to one another, it helped unify the United States.1. The major problems with America’s railroad system in the middle I9lh century lay in( ).2. The building of the first transcontinental system( ).3. The best title for this passage would be( ).4. The construction of the transcontinental railroad took( ).5. What most likely made people think about a transcontinental railroad?

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Television, the most pervasive and persuasive of modern technologies, marked by raid change and growth, is moving into a new era of extraordinary sophistication and versatility, which promises to reshape our lives and our world. It is an electronic revolution of sorts, made possible by the marriage of television and computer technologies.The word “television”,derived from its Greek (tele: distant) and Latin (vision: sight) roots, can literally be interpreted as sight from a distance. Very simply put, it works in this way: through a sophisticated system of electronics, television provides the capability of converting an image (focused on a special photoconductive plate within a camera) into electronic impulses, which can be sent through a wire or cable. These impulses, when fed into a receiver (television set), can then be electronically reconstituted into that same image.Television is more than just an electronic system, however. It is a means of expression, as well as a vehicle for communication, and as such becomes a powerful tool for reaching other human beings.The field of television can be divided into two categories determined by its means of transmission. First, there is broadcast television, which reaches the masses through broad-based airwave transmission of television signals. Second, there is non-broadcast television, which provides for the needs of individuals or specific interest groups through controlled transmission techniques.Traditionally, television has been a medium of the masses. We are most familiar with broadcast television because it has been with us for thirty seven years in a form similar to what exists today. During those years, it has been controlled, for the most pail, by the broadcast networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS, who have been the major purveyors of news, information, and entertainment. These giants of broadcasting have actually shaped not only television but our perception of it as well. We have come to look upon the picture tube as a source of entertainment, placing our role in this dynamic medium as the passive viewer.1. With which topic is the passage primarily concerned?2. What is the literal meaning of the word “television”?3. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage as a function of electronics in television transmissions?4. What field of television is intended for specific groups?5. Which of the following statements about the relationship between the television and its viewers can be inferred from the passage?

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