考研英語

ReadingComprehension

97

PartIIReadingComprehension

Directions:

Eachofthepassagesbelowisfollowedbysomequestions.Foreachquestiontherearefour

answersmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D].Readthepassagescarefullyandchoosethebest

answertoeachofthequestions.ThenmarkyouransweronANSWERSHEET1byblackening

thecorrespondingletterinthebrackets.(40points)

Passage1

Itwas3:45inthemorningwhenthevotewasfinallytaken.Aftersixmonthsofarguingand

final16hoursofhotparliamentarydebates,Australia'sNorthernTerritorybecamethefirstlegal

authorityintheworldtoallowdoctorstotakethelivesofincurablyillpatientswhowishtodie.

Themeasurepassedbytheconvincingvoteof15to10.Almostimmediatelywordflashedonthe

Internetandwaspickedup,halfaworldaway,byJohnHofiess,executivedirectoroftheRightto

DieSocietyofCanada.HesentitonviathegroupJson-lineservice,DeathNET.SaysHofcess:

“Wepostedbulletinsalldaylong,becauseofcoursethisisn'tjustsomethingthathappenedin

Australia.It*sworldhistory.

Thefullimportmaytakeawhiletosinkin.TheNTRightsoftheTerminallyIlllawhasleft

physiciansandcitizensaliketryingtodealwithitsmoralandpracticalimplications.Somehave

breathedsighsofrelief,others,includingchurches,right-to-lifegroupsandtheAustralian

MedicalAssociation,bitterlyattackedthebillandthehasteofitspassage.Butthetideisunlikely

toturnback.InAustralia一whereanagingpopulation,life-extendingtechnologyandchanging

communityattitudeshaveallplayedtheirpart-otherstatesaregoingtoconsidermakingasimilar

lawtodealwitheuthanasia.IntheUSandCanada,wheretherighLto-diemovementisgathering

strength,observersarewaitingforthedominoestostartfalling.

UnderthenewNorthernTerritorylaw,anadultpatientcanrequestdeath-probablybya

deadlyinjectionorpill—toputanendtosuffering.Thepatientmustbediagnosedastenninallyill

bytwodoctors.Aftera"coolingoff9periodofsevendays,thepatientcansignacertificateof

request.After48hoursthewishfordeathcanbemet.ForLloydNickson,a54-year-oldDarwin

residentsufferingfromlungcancer,theNTRightsofTerminallyIlllawmeanshecangetonwith

livingwithoutthehauntingfearofhissuffering:aterrifyingdeathfromhisbreathingcondition.

"I'mnotafraidofdyingfromaspiritualpointofview,butwhatIwasafraidofwashowI'dgo,

becauseFvewatchedpeopledieinthehospitalfightingforoxygenandclawingattheirmasks,

hesays.

11.Fromthesecondparagraphwelearnthat__.

[A]theobjectiontoeuthanasiaisslowtocomeinothercountries

[B]physiciansandcitizenssharethesameviewoneuthanasia

[C]changingtechnologyischieflyresponsibleforthehastypassageofthelaw

[D]ittakestimetorealizethesignificanceofthelaw'spassage

12.Whentheauthorsaysthatobserversarewaitingforthedominoestostartfalling,he

means.

[A]observersaretakingawait-and-seeattitudetowardsthefutureofeuthanasia

[B]similarbillsarelikelytobepassedintheUS,Canadaandothercountries

[C]observersarewaitingtoseetheresultofthegameofdominoes

[D]theeffect-takingprocessofthepassedbillmayfinallycometoastop

13.WhenLloydNicksondies,hewill.

[A]facehisdeathwithcalmcharacteristicofeuthanasia

[B]experiencethesufferingofalungcancerpatient

[C]haveanintensefearofterriblesuffering

[D]undergoacoolingoffperiodofsevendays

14.Theauthor'sattitudetowardseuthanasiaseemstobethatof.

[A]opposition[B]suspicion[C]approval[D]indifference

Passage2

AreportconsistentlybroughtbackbyvisitorstotheUSishowfriendly,courteous,and

helpfulmostAmericansweretothem.Tobefair,thisobservationisalsofrequentlymadeof

CanadaandCanadians,andshouldbestbeconsideredNorthAmerican.Thereare,ofcourse,

exceptions.Small-mindedofficials,rudewaiters,andill-manneredtaxidriversarehardly

unknownintheUS.Yetitisanobservationmadesofrequentlythatitdeservescomment.

Foralongperiodoftimeandinmanypartsofthecountry,atravelerwasawelcomebreakin

anotherwisedullexistence.Dullnessandlonelinesswerecommonproblemsofthefamilieswho

generallyliveddistantfromoneanother.Strangersandtravelerswerewelcomesourcesof

diversion,andbroughtnewsoftheoutsideworld.

Theharshrealitiesofthefrontieralsoshapedthistraditionofhospitality.Someonetraveling

alone,ifhungry,injured,orill,oftenhadnowheretoturnexcepttothenearestcabinorsettlement.

Itwasnotamatterofchoiceforthetravelerormerelyacharitableimpulseonthepartofthe

settlers.Itreflectedtheharshnessofdailylife:ifyoudidn'ttakeinthestrangerandtakecareof

him,therewasnooneelsewhowould.Andsomeday,remember,youmightbeinthesame

situation.

Todaytherearemanycharitableorganizationswhichspecializeinhelpingthewearytraveler;

Yet,theoldtraditionofhospitalitytostrangersisstillverystrongintheUS,especiallyinthe

smallercitiesandtownsawayfromthebusytouristtrails."Iwasjusttravelingthrough,got

talkingwiththisAmerican,andprettysoonheinvitedmehomefordinner-amazing.^^Such

observationsreportedbyvisitorstotheUSarenotuncommon,butarenotalwaysunderstood

properly.ThecasualfriendlinessofmanyAmericansshouldbeinterpretedneitherassuperficial

norasartificial,butastheresultofahistoricallydevelopedculturaltradition.

Asistrueofanydevelopedsociety,inAmericaacomplexsetofculturalsignals,assumptions,

andconventionsunderliesallsocialinterrelationships.And,ofcourse,speakingalanguagedoes

notnecessarilymeanthatsomeoneunderstandssocialandculturalpatterns.Visitorswhofailto

“translate"culturalmeaningsproperlyoftendrawwrongconclusions.Forexample,whenan

Americanusestheword“friend"，theculturalimplicationsofthewordmaybequitedifferent

fromthoseithasinthevisitor'slanguageandculture.Ittakesmorethanabriefencounterona

bustodistinguishbetweencourteousconventionandindividualinterest.Yet,beingfriendlyisa

virtuethatmanyAmericansvaluehighlyandexpectfrombothneighborsandstrangers.

15.Intheeyesofvisitorsfromtheoutsideworld

[A]rudetaxidriversarerarelyseenintheUS

[B]small-mindedofficialsdeserveaseriouscomment

[C]Canadiansarenotsofriendlyastheirneighbors

[D]mostAmericansarereadytoofferhelp

16.Itcouldbeinferredfromthelastparagraphthat___.

[A]cultureexercisesaninfluenceoversocialinterrelationship

[B]courteousconventionandindividualinterestareinterrelated

[C]variousvirtuesmanifestthemselvesexclusivelyamongfriends

[D]socialinterrelationshipsequalthecomplexsetofculturalconventions

17.Familiesinfrontiersettlementsusedtoentertainstrangers.

[A]toimprovetheirhardlife

[B]inviewoftheirlong-distancetravel

[C]toaddsomeflavortotheirowndailylife

[D]outofacharitableimpulse

18.Thetraditionofhospitalitytostrangers.

[A]tendstobesuperficialandartificial

[B]isgenerallywellkeptupintheUnitedStates

[C]isalwaysunderstoodproperly

[D]hassomethingtodowiththebusytouristtrails

Technically,anysubstanceotherthanfoodthataltersourbodilyormentalfunctioningisa

drug.Manypeoplemistakenlybelievethetermdrugrefersonlytosomesortofmedicineoran

illegalchemicaltakenbydrugaddicts.Theydon'trealizethatfamiliarsubstancessuchasalcohol

andtobaccoarealsodrugs.Thisiswhythemoreneutraltermsubstanceisnowusedbymany

physiciansandpsychologists.Thephrase“substanceabuse”isoftenusedinsteadof“drugabuse”

tomakeclearthatsubstancessuchasalcoholandtobaccocanbejustasharmfullymisusedas

heroinandcocaine.

Weliveinasocietyinwhichthemedicalandsocialuseofsubstances(drugs)ispervasive:an

aspirintoquietaheadache,somewinetobesociable,coffeetogetgoinginthemorning,a

cigaretteforthenerves.Whendothesesociallyacceptableandapparentlyconstructiveusesofa

substancebecomemisuses?Firstofall,mostsubstancestakeninexcesswillproducenegative

effectssuchaspoisoningorintenseperceptualdistortions.Repeateduseofasubstancecanalso

leadtophysicaladdictionorsubstancedependence.Dependenceismarkedfirstbyanincreased

tolerance,withmoreandmoreofthesubstancerequiredtoproducethedesiredeffect,andthenby

theappearanceofunpleasantwithdrawalsymptomswhenthesubstanceisdiscontinued.

Drugs(substances)thataffectthecentralnervoussystemandalterperception,mood,and

behaviorareknownaspsychoactivesubstances.Psychoactivesubstancesarecommonlygrouped

accordingtowhethertheyarestimulants,depressants,orhallucinogens.Stimulantsinitiallyspeed

uporactivatethecentralnervoussystem,whereasdepressantsslowitdown.Hallucinogenshave

theirprimaryeffectonperception,distortingandalteringitinavarietyofwaysincluding

producinghallucinations.Thesearethesubstancesoftencalledpsychedelic(fromtheGreekword

meaningumind-manifestation)becausetheyseemedtoradicallyalterone'sstateof

consciousness.

19.''Substanceabuse”(Line5,Paragraph1)ispreferableto“drugabuse“inthat

[A]substancescanalterourbodilyormentalfunctioningifillegallyused

[B]"drugabuse“isonlyrelatedtoalimitednumberofdrugtakers

[C]alcoholandtobaccoareasfatalasheroinandcocaine

[D]manysubstancesotherthanheroinorcocainecanalsobepoisonous

20.Theword“pervasive”(Line1,Paragraph2)mightmean.

[A]widespread[B]overwhelming

[C]piercing[D]fashionable

21.Physicaldependenceoncertainsubstancesresultsfrom.

[A]uncontrolledconsumptionofthemoverlongperiodsoftime

[B]exclusiveuseofthemforsocialpurposes

[C]quantitativeapplicationofthemtothetreatmentofdiseases

[D]carelessemploymentofthemforunpleasantsymptoms

22.Fromthelastparagraphwecaninferthat__.

[A]stimulantsfunctionpositivelyonthemind

[B]hallucinogensareinthemselvesharmfultohealth

[C]depressantsaretheworsttypeofpsychoactivesubstances

[D]thethreetypesofpsychoactivesubstanceswerecommonlyusedingroups

Passage4

Nocompanylikestobetolditiscontributingtothemoraldeclineofanation.<4Isthiswhat

youintendedtoaccomplishwithyourcareers?^^SenatorRobertDoleaskedTimeWarner

executiveslastweek."Youhavesoldyoursouls,butmustyoucorruptournationandthreatenour

childrenaswell?”AtTimeWarner,however,suchquestionsaresimplythelatestmanifestationof

thesoul-searchingthathasinvolvedthecompanyeversincethecompanywasbomin1990.It*sa

self-examinationthathas,atvarioustimes,involvedissuesofresponsibility,creativefreedomand

thecorporatebottomline.

AtthecoreofthisdebateischainnanGeraldLevin,56,whotookoverforthelateSteveRoss

in1992.Onthefinancialfront,Levinisunderpressuretoraisethestockpriceandreducethe

company'smountainousdebt,whichwillincreaseto$17,3billionaftertwonewcabledealsclose.

HehaspromisedtosellofFsomeofthepropertyandrestructurethecompany,butinvestorsare

waitingimpatiently.

Theflapoverrapisnotmakinglifeanyeasierforhim.Levinhasconsistentlydefendedthe

company'srapmusiconthegroundsofexpression.In1992,whenTimeWarnerwasunderfire

fbrreleasingIce~TsviolentrapsongCopKiller,Levindescribedrapasalawfulexpressionof

streetculture,whichdeservesanoutlet."Thetestofanydemocraticsociety,?,hewroteinaWall

StreetJournalcolumn,“l(fā)iesnotinhowwellitcancontrolexpressionbutinwhetheritgives

freedomofthoughtandexpressionthewidestpossiblelatitude,howeverdisputableorirritating

theresultsmaysometimesbe.Wewon'tretreatinthefaceofanythreats.”

Levinwouldnotcommentonthedebatelastweek,butthereweresignsthatthechainnan

wasbackingoffhishard-linestand,atleasttosomeextent.Duringthediscussionofrocksinging

versesatlastmonth'sstockholders?meeting,Levinassertedthat“musicisnotthecauseof

society'sills“andevencitedhisson,ateacherintheBronx,NewYork,whousesrapto

communicatewithstudents.Buthetalkedaswellaboutthe"balancedstruggle^^betweencreative

freedomandsocialresponsibility,andheannouncedthatthecompanywouldlaunchadriveto

developstandardsfbrdistributionandlabelingofpotentiallyobjectionablemusic.

The15-memberTimeWarnerboardisgenerallysupportiveofLevinandhiscorporate

strategy.Butinsiderssayseveralofthemhaveshowntheirconcernsinthismatter."Someofus

haveknownformany,manyyearsthatthefreedomsundertheFirstAmendmentarcnottotally

unlimited,“saysLuce."Ithinkitisperhapsthecasethatsomepeopleassociatedwiththe

companyhaveonlyrecentlycometorealizethis.^^

23.SenatorRobertDolecriticizedTimeWarnerfbr.

[A]itsraisingofthecorporatestockprice

[B]itsself-examinationofsoul

[C]itsneglectofsocialresponsibility

[D]itsemphasisoncreativefreedom

24.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingisTRUE?

[A]LuceisaspokesmanofTimeWarner.

[B]GeraldLevinisliabletocompromise.

[C]TimeWarnerisunitedasoneinthefaceofthedebate.

[D]SteveRossisnolongeralive

25.Infaceoftherecentattacksonthecompany,thechairman.

[A]stucktoastrongstandtodefendfreedomofexpression

[B]softenedhistoneandadoptedsomenewpolicy

[C]changedhisattitudeandyieldedtoobjection

[D]receivedmoresupportfromthe15-memberboard

26.Thebesttitlefbrthispassagemightbe.

[A]ACompanyunderFire[B]ADebateonMoralDecline

[C]ALawfulOutletofStreetCulture[D]AFormofCreativeFreedom

Passage5

Muchofthelanguageusedtodescribemonetarypolicy,suchas“steeringtheeconomytoa

softlanding"or“atouchonthebrakes”,makesitsoundlikeaprecisescience.Nothingcouldbe

furtherfromthetruth.Thelinkbetweeninterestratesandinflationisuncertain.Andtherearelong,

variablelagsbeforepolicychangeshaveanyeffectontheeconomy.Hencetheanalogythatlikens

theconductofmonetarypolicytodrivingacarwithablackenedwindscreen,acrackedrearview

mirrorandafaultysteeringwheel.

Givenallthesedisadvantages,centralbankersseemtohavehadmuchtoboastaboutoflate.

Averageinflationinthebigsevenindustrialeconomiesfelltoamere2.3%lastyear,closetoits

lowestlevelin30years,beforerisingslightlyto2.5%thisJuly.Thisisalongwaybelowthe

double-digitrateswhichmanycountriesexperiencedinthe1970sandearly1980s.

Itisalsolessthanmostforecastershadpredicted.Inlate1994thepanelofeconomistswhich

TheEconomistpollseachmonthsaidthatAmerica'sinflationratewouldaverage3.5%in1995.In

fact,itfellto2.6%inAugust,andisexpectedtoaverageonlyabout3%fortheyearasawhole.In

BritainandJapaninflationisrunninghalfapercentagepointbelowtheratepredictedattheendof

lastyear.Thisisnoflashinthepan;overthepastcoupleofyears,inflationhasbeenconsistently

lowerthanexpectedinBritainandAmerica.

EconomistshavebeenparticularlysurprisedbyfavourableinflationfiguresinBritainandthe

UnitedStates,sinceconventionalmeasuressuggestthatbotheconomies,andespeciallyAmerica's,

havelittleproductiveslack.America'scapacityutilisation,forexample,hithistoricallyhighlevels

earlierthisyear,anditsjoblessrate(5.6%inAugust)hasfallenbelowmostestimatesofthe

naturalrateofunemployment-theratebelowwhichinflationhastakenoffinthepast.

Whyhasinflationprovedsomild?Themostthrillingexplanationis,unfortunately,alittle

defective.Someeconomistsarguethatpowerfulstructuralchangesintheworldhaveup-ended

theoldeconomicmodelsthatwerebaseduponthehistoricallinkbetweengrowthandinflation.

27.Fromthepassagewelearnthat__.

[A]thereisadefiniterelationshipbetweeninflationandinterestrates

[B]economywillalwaysfollowcertainmodels

[C]theeconomicsituationisbetterthanexpected

[D]economistshadforeseenthepresenteconomicsituation

28.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingisTRUE?

[A]Makingmonetarypoliciesiscomparabletodrivingacar.

[B]Anextremelylowjoblessratewillleadtoinflation.

[C]Ahighunemploymentratewillresultfrominflation.

[D]Interestrateshaveanimmediateeffectontheeconomy.

29.Thesentence“Thisisnoflashinthepan”(Line5,Paragraph3)meansthat.

[A]thelowinflationratewilllastforsometime[B]theinflationratewillsoonrise

[C]theinflationwilldisappearquickly[D]thereisnoinflationatpresent

30.Thepassageshowsthattheauthoristhepresentsituation__.

[A]criticalof[B]puzzledby

[C]disappointedat[D]amazedat

Text1(1998)

Reading

Passage1

Fewcreationsofbigtechnologycapturetheimaginationlikegiantdams.Perhapsitis

humankind'slongsufferingatthemercyoffloodanddroughtthatmakestheidealofforcingthe

waterstodoourbiddingsofascination.Buttobefascinatedisalso,sometimes,tobeblind.

Severalgiantdamprojectsthreatentodomoreharmthangood.

Thelessonfromdamsisthatbigisnotalwaysbeautiful.Itdoesn'thelpthatbuildingabig,

powerfuldamhasbecomeasymbolofachievementfornationsandpeoplestrivingtoassert

themselves.Egypt?sleadershipintheArabworldwascementedbytheAswanHighDam.

Turkey'sbidforFirstWorldstatusincludesthegiantAtaturkDam.

Butbigdamstendnottoworkasintended.TheAswanDam,forexamplestoppedtheNile

floodingbutdeprivedEgyptofthefertilesiltthatfloodsleft-allinreturnforagiantreservoirof

diseasewhichisnowsofullofsiltthatitbarelygenerateselectricity.

Andyet,themythofcontrollingthewaterspersists.Thisweek,intheheartofcivilized

Europe,SlovaksandHungariansstoppedjustshortofsendinginthetroopsintheircontention

overadamontheDanube.Thehugecomplexwillprobablyhavealltheusualproblemsofbig

dams.ButSlovakiaisbiddingforindependencefromtheCzechs,andnowneedsadamtoprove

itself.

Meanwhile,inIndia,theWorldBankhasgiventhegoaheadtotheevenmorewrongheaded

NarmadaDam.Andthebankhasdonethiseventhoughitsadvisorssaythedamwillcause

hardshipforthepowerlessandenvironmentaldestruction.Thebenefitsareforthepowerful,but

theyarefarfromguaranteed.

Proper,scientificstudyoftheimpactsofdamsandofthecostandbenefitsofcontrolling

watercanhelptoresolvetheseconflicts.Hydroelectricpowerandfloodcontrolandirrigationare

possiblewithoutbuildingmonsterdams.Butwhenyouaredealingwithmyths,itishardtobe

eitherproper,orscientific.ItistimethattheworldlearnedthelessonsofAswan.Youdon'tneeda

damtobesaved.

51.Thethirdsentenceofparagraph1impliesthat.

A)peoplewouldbehappyiftheyshuttheireyestoreality

B)theblindcouldbehappierthanthesighted

C)over-excitedpeopletendtoneglectvitalthings.

D)fascinationmakespeoplelosetheireyesight

52.Inparagraph5,“thepowerless^^probablyrefersto.

A)areasshortofelectricityB)damswithoutpowerstations

C)poorcountriesaroundIndiaD)commonpeopleintheNarmadaDamarea

53.Whatisthemythconcerninggiantdams?

A)Theybringinmorefertilesoil.B)Theyhelpdefendthecountry.

C)Theystrengtheninternationalties.D)Theyhaveuniversalcontrolofthewaters.

54.Whattheauthortriestosuggestmaybestbeinterpretedas.A)“It'snousecryingover

spiltmilk^^B)t4Morehaste,lessspeed^^C)“Lookbeforeyouleap"D)"Hewho

laughslastlaughsbest”

Passage2

Well,nogainwithoutpain,theysay.Butwhataboutpainwithoutgain?Everywhereyougo

inAmerica,youheartalesofcorporaterevival.Whatishardertoestablishiswhetherthe

productivityrevolutionthatbusinessmenassumetheyarepresidingoverisforreal.

Theofficialstatisticsaremildlydiscouraging.Theyshowthat,ifyoulumpmanufacturing

andservicestogether,productivityhasgrownonaverageby1.2%since1987.Thatissomewhat

fasterthantheaverageduringthepreviousdecade.Andsince1991,productivityhasincreasedby

about2%ayear,whichismorethantwicethe197887average.Thetroubleisthatpartofthe

recentaccelerationisduetotheusualreboundthatoccursatthispointinabusinesscycle,andso

isnotconclusiveevidenceofarevivalintheunderlyingtrend.Thereis,asRobertRubin,the

treasurysecretary,says,a“di可unction“betweenthemassofbusinessanecdotethatpointstoa

leapinproductivityandthepicturereflectedbythestatistics.

Someofthiscanbeeasilyexplained.Newwaysoforganizingtheworkplaceallthatre

engineeringanddownsizing-areonlyonecontributiontotheoverallproductivityofaneconomy,

whichisdrivenbymanyotherfactorssuchasjointinvestmentinequipmentandmachinery,new

technology,andinvestmentineducationandtraining.Moreover,mostofthechangesthat

companiesmakeareintendedtokeepthemprofitable,andthisneednotalwaysmeanincreasing

productivity:switchingtonewmarketsorimprovingqualitycanmatterjustasmuch.

Twootherexplanationsaremorespeculative.First,someofthebusinessrestructuringof

recentyearsmayhavebeenineptlydone.Second,evenifitwaswelldone,itmayhavespread

muchlesswidelythanpeoplesuppose.

LeonardSchlesinger,aHarvardacademicandformerchiefexecutiveofAuBongPain,a

rapidlygrowingchainofbakerycafes,saysthatmuch“reengineering^^hasbeencrude.Inmany

cases,hebelieves,thelossofrevenuehasbeengreaterthanthereductionsincost.Hiscolleague,

MichaelBeer,saysthatfartoomanycompanieshaveappliedreengineeringinamechanistic

fashion,choppingoutcostswithoutgivingsufficientthoughttolongtermprofitability.BBDO's

AlRosenshineisblunter.Hedismissesalotoftheworkofreengineeringconsultantsasmere

rubbish-"theworstsortofambulancecashing.^^

55.Accordingtotheauthor,theAmericaneconomicsituationis.A)notasgoodasitseems

B)atitsturningpointC)muchbetterthanitseemsD)neartocompleterecovery56.

Theofficialstatisticsonproductivitygrowth.A)excludetheusualreboundinabusiness

cycleB)fallshortofbusinessmen'santicipationC)meettheexpectationofbusinesspeopleD)

failtoreflectthetruestateofeconomy57.Theauthorraisesthequestion“whataboutpain

withoutgain?^^because___.A)hequestionsthetruthof“nogainwithoutpain^^B)hedoesnot

thinktheproductivityrevolutionworksC)hewondersiftheofficialstatisticsaremisleadingD)

hehasconclusiveevidencefortherevivalofbusinesses58.Whichofthefollowingstatementsis

NOTmentionedinthepassage?A)Radicalreformsareessentialfbrtheincreaseofproductivity.

B)Newwaysoforganizingworkplacesmayhelptoincreaseproductivity.C)Thereductionof

costsisnotasurewaytogainlongtermprofitability.D)Theconsultantsareabunchof

good-for-nothings.

Passage3

Sciencehaslonghadanuneasyrelationshipwithotheraspectsofculture.ThinkofGalileo's

17thcenturytrialforhisrebellingbeliefbeforetheCatholicChurchorpoetWilliamBlake'sharsh

remarksagainstthemechanisticworldviewofIsaacNewton.Theschismbetweenscienceandthe

humanitieshas,ifanything,deepenedinthiscentury.

Untilrecently,thescientificcommunitywassopowerfulthatitcouldaffordtoignoreits

critics-butnolonger.Asfundingforsciencehasdeclined,scientistshaveattacked“antiscience”

inseveralbooks,notablyHigherSuperstition,byPaulR.Gross,abiologistattheUniversityof

Virginia,andNormanLevitt,amathematicianatRutgersUniversity;andTheDemon-Haunted

World,byCarSaganofCornellUniversity.

Defendersofsciencehavealsovoicedtheirconcernsatmeetingssuchas“TheFlightfrom

ScienceandReason,''heldinNewYorkCityin1995,and"ScienceintheAgeof(Mis)

information,whichassembledlastJunenearBuffalo.

Antiscienceclearlymeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.GrossandLevittfindfault

primarilywithsociologists,philosophersandotheracademicswhohavequestionedscience's

objectivity.Saganismoreconcernedwiththosewhobelieveinghosts,creationismandother

phenomenathatcontradictthescientificworldview.

Asurveyofnewsstoriesin1996revealsthattheantisciencetaghasbeenattachedtomany

othergroupsaswell,fromauthoritieswhoadvocatedtheeliminationofthelastremainingstocks

ofsmallpoxvirustoRepublicanswhoadvocateddecreasedfundingforbasicresearch.

FewwoulddisputethatthetermappliestotheUnabomber,thosemanifesto,publishedin

1995,scornsscienceandlongsforreturntoaprc-technologicalutopia.Butsurelythatdoesnot

meanenvironmentalistsconcernedaboutuncontrolledindustrialgrowthareantiscience,asan

essayinUSNews&WorldReportlastMayseemedtosuggest.

Theenvironmentalists,inevitably,respond