This has been an【L8】______in higher education,

Ｐetitions

Petitions have long been a part of British political life. Anyone who wanted to change something would get a list of signatures from people who agreed to the idea and either send them to the government or deliver them personally to the Prime Minister's house in London.

They are always accepted at the door by one of the PM'S officials. What happens then？ Nothing much, usually. But petitions have always been thought of as a useful way for those who govern to find out what the people really think.

That's why the UK government launched its "e. petition" site in November 2006. Instead of physically collecting signatures, all anyone with an idea has to do now is to make a proposal on the government website, and anyone who supports the idea is free to add his or her signature.

The petitions soon started to flow in. The idea was for the British people to express their constructive ideas. Many chose instead to express their sense of humor.

One petitioner called on Tony Blair to “stop the Deputy Prime Minister eating so much”. Another wanted to expel（驱逐）Scotland from the United Kingdom because Scottish football fans never support England In the World Cup.

Other petitioners called on the Prime Minister to abolish the monarchy. Some wanted to give it more power. Some wanted to oppose the United States. Others wanted to leave the European Union. Some wanted to send more troops to lraq and others wanted them all brought home. Some wanted to adopt the euro（欧元）. Others wanted to keep the pound.

Yet if some petitions are not serious, others present a direct challenge to government policy. A petition calling on the government to drop plans to charge drivers for using roads has already drawn around l8 million signatures. In response to that, a rival petition has been posted in support of road pricing. And that is also rapidly growing.

There are about 60 million people in Britain. So it is understandable that the government wants to find out what people are thinking. But the problem with the e-petition site seems to be that the British people have about 70 million opinions, and want the Prime Minister to hear all of them. Perhaps he could start a petition asking everyone to just shut up for a while.

16 A petition needs to be signed.

A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned

听力原文： I am honored to be here today,【L1】______Harvard at this celebration of the College Boards half century of working to promote【L2】______and equal opportunity in higher education. Before I say anything else, I want to thank everyone in the room for the work you do every day to make college【L3】______, available, and【L4】______for millions of young people across the country. I want to focus my remarks on a matter of【L5】______to American familiesand to the future of the nation -- restoring education to its proper role as a【L6】______to equal opportunity and【L7】______in our society. This has been an【L8】______in higher education, with great and creative efforts made by many institutions. Earlier this year, we announced a new【L9】______at Harvard aimed at the students from families of low and【L10】______income. Under our new program, families with incomes of【L11】______will no longer be expected to contribute to the cost of attending Harvard for their children. Families with incomes of less than $ 60,000 will also see their【L12】______reduced. We are proud of this effort at Harvard, but we are aware that the programs of individual institutions with means can never be a substitute for our shared【L13】______to provide adequate funding for Pell grants and other financial aid, and for the state and community college systems that make higher education【L14】______and affordable for the【L15】______. There is something empty about【L16】______initiatives that may be right for one institution without attention to their broader impact.【L17】______, we【L18】______if we urge changes in national policy without doing what we can on our own campuses. In this spirit, I want to【L19】______today a problem that is emerging with【L20】______in this nation.

【L1】______Harvard at this celebration of the College Boards

根据下列文章,请回答 36～40 题。

Is the Tie a Necessity？

Ties，or neckties，have been a symbol of politeness and elegance in Britain for centuries．But the Casual Prime Minister Tony Blair has problems with them．Report：suggest that even the civil servants may stop wearing ties。S0，are the formal British really going to abandon the neckties？

maybe．Last week，the UK’S Cabinet Secretary Andrew Turnbull openly welcomed a timeless era．He hinted that civil servants Would soon be free of the costliest 12 inches of fabric that most men ever buy in their lives．

in fact．Blair showed this attitude when he had his first guests to a cocktail party．Many of them were celebrities(知名人士)without ties，which would have been 1imaginable even in it the recent past．

For some more conservative British，the tie is a must for proper appearance．Earlier， Labor leader Jim Callaghan said he would have died rather than have his children seen in public without a tie．For people like Callaghan，the tie was a sign of being complete，of showing respect．Men were supposed to wear a tie when going to church，to work in the office，to a party—almost every social occasion．

But today, people have begun to accept a casual style. even for formal occasions．

The origin of the tie is tricky．It started as something called simply a” band”．The term could mean anything around a man’s neck．It appeared in finer ways in the 1 630s．Frenchmen showed a love of this particular fashion statement．Their neckwear(颈饰) impressed Charles I l，the king of England who was exiled(流放)to France at that time．

When he returned to England in l 660．he brought this new fashion item along with him．It wasn’t，however，until the late l8‘“century that fancy young men introduced a more colorful，flowing piece of cloth that eventually became known as the tie．Then，clubs， military institutions and schools began to use colored and patterned ties to indicate the wearer’s membership in the late l9th century．After that，the tie became a necessary item of clothing for British gentlemen．

But now，even gentlemen are getting tired of ties．Anyway, the day feels a bit easier when you wake up without having to decide which tie suits you and your mood．

第 36 题 The tie symbolizes all of the following except

A．respect

B．elegance

C．politeness

D．democracy

A.is

B.has

C.has been

D.had been

A．She has been working a lot recently.

B．She has been taking care of her sick mother.

C．She has been taking two night classes.

D．She has been looking for a new job.

Gentleness has been considered a ______ trait.

A．boyish

B．delicate

C．feminine

D．male