The literature on drug addiction has grown at a rate that

　　defies anyone to keep abreast of the literature, and

　　apparently in inverse proportion to our understanding of

　　the subject. Addiction, or dependence, as it is more

　　5 fashionable to call it, excites controversy and speculation

　　yet true understanding of the phenomenon remains elusive.

　　In fact the area is fraught with speculation and

　　acrimonious debate. Definition of terms such as ‘drug’,

　　‘addiction’, and ‘abuse’ is obviously less controversial

　　10 than attempts to explain the nature of drug dependence,

　　yet even the terminology is imprecise and overlain with

　　subjective connotations. At its most basic, a drug, as

　　defined by the World Heath Organization, is simply ‘any

　　substance which when taken into the living organism may

　　15 modify one or more of its functions’. This kind of

　　definition is too wide to be of any use in a discussion

　　of dependence: it covers everything from insulin to

　　aspirin, penicillin to alcohol.

　　3. The author implies that he thinks the term “dependence” in the context of drugs

　　A. is more accurate the older term “addiction”

　　B. has not always been the preferred term

　　C. is a currently under-used term

　　D. is an avant-garde aberration

　　E. is more controversial than the term “addiction”

　　4. We can infer from the first sentence that

　　A. not all that has been written on the subject of addiction has added to our understanding

　　B. no one can have read all the literature on any drug

　　C. the more that is published the more we are likely to understand

　　D. the rate of growth should be higher if we are to understand the subject

　　E. writing about addiction is fashionable

　　Paragraph one

　　When the explorer comes home victorious, everyone goes out

　　to cheer him. We are all proud of his achievement — proud

　　on behalf of the nation and of humanity. We think it is a

　　new feather in our cap, and one we have come by cheaply.

　　5 How many of those who join in the cheering were there when

　　the expedition was fitting out, when it was short of bare

　　necessities, when support and assistance were most urgently

　　wanted? Was there then any race to be first? At such a time

　　the leader has usually found himself almost alone; too

　　10 often he has had to confess that his greatest difficulties

　　were those he had to overcome at home before he could set

　　sail. So it was with Columbus, and so it has been with many

　　since his time.

　　Paragraph two

　　Amundsen has always reached the goal he has aimed at, this

　　15 man who sailed his little yacht over the whole Arctic Ocean,

　　round the north of America, on the course that had been

　　sought in vain for four hundred years. So, when in 1910 he

　　left the fjord on his great expedition in the Fram, to drift

　　right across the North Polar Sea, would it not have been

　　20 natural if we had been proud of having such a man to support?

　　But was it so? For a long time he struggled to complete his

　　equipment. Money was still lacking, and little interest was

　　shown in him and his work. He himself gave everything he

　　possessed in the world. But nevertheless had to put to sea

　　25 loaded with anxieties and debts, as he sailed out quietly

　　on a summer night.

　　5. In paragraph one, the ‘race to be first’ refers ironically to the

　　A. lack of response to urgent appeals for help

　　B. willingness to give credit

　　C. lack of support to the explorer before he achieves his goals

　　D. rush to laud the explorer

　　E. eagerness of the explorer to be alone

　　6. The ‘feather in our cap’ refers to

　　A. our willingness to take unearned credit for a triumph

　　B. the pride we have in being human

　　C. our sense of having got a reward for our investment

　　D. way we respond to all success

　　E. the way we express our joy

　　7. Both paragraphs make their point with the aid of

　　A. repetition and parallel construction

　　B. specific details of time and place

　　C. metaphor

　　D. reference to historical documents

　　E. rhetorical questions

　　8. From both paragraphs taken together, it appears that Amundsen and Columbus shared all of the following except the fact that they

　　A. were explorers

　　B. were not always supported when they most needed it

　　C. achieved feats that should have received accolades

　　D. had difficulties to face apart from those they faced on their expeditions

　　E. sailed the seas alone

　　SAT阅读习题:Reading Comprehension Test 12参考答案见下一页