SECTION B

Part One:

W:

Theword diversity has become a cliché in the United States today. [1]It seemsto me that nowadays Americans cannot turn on the television or read a newspaperwithout seeing the word pop up somewhere as a description of the American demographic.Then what is this diversity in the US? Today, we are very pleased to haveDr James Johnson here on our talk show. Welcome, Dr Johnson.

M:?

Thanks.

W:

?DrJohnson, we know you have done extensive research on diversity. So, what is,how do you define diversity in the American context?

M:

Well,at one time the US was called a melting pot, you know, which means that peopleof many different religions, cultures, and races could shed their traditionalcultural identities and blend into one homogeneous nation.

W:

?Am Iright in saying that a melting pot would emphasize the idea of all in one orbeing the same?

M:

Yes,you may say so. Um, of course, when the phrase “melting pot” was popular, therewas also the idea of being different, but being different then simply meantCatholic as opposed to Protestant, or Irish as opposed to Swedish or Italian.

W:

?Has the idea of being different changeover the years?

M:

?Yes,of course. You see today, [2]we use the word diversity to refer tomore-visible ethnic differences -- Asian American, African American, andLatino, for instance.?And religious diversity refers to a variety of worldreligions, not merely different branches of Christianity.

W:

?And now is America as a whole trulydiverse?

M:

Well,I think in all this talk of diversity there is a critical point that may bemissed: that is, diversity is not occurring everywhere in the US, or at leastnot to a degree that would alter the demography of every region in the country.

W:?

Oh, really?

M:

Ican give you an example. Recently a?

New York Times

?article describes thetown of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. You see, in the last 10 years things havebarely changed in that town. The population has dropped by one, from 5,384 to5,388 and the town remains virtually 100% white. [5]The article thus concludesthat many portions of the country remain, like Selinsgrove, virtually unchangedon this march toward “diversity.”

W:?

[3]So regions vary in terms of the degreeand types of diversity?

M:

[3]That'scorrect. Let's say there are 3 types of diversity in the US. And they differfrom region to region.

W:

?Could you elaborate on that?

M:

OK.The first is racial diversity. States with the most racially diverse populationsstand in stark contrast to those with the least racially diverse populations.Um, let's look at two states, California and Maine. From 1990 to 2000,California's Caucasian population--meaning non-Hispanic whites -- declined from57% to 48%. [4]By 2025, as is predicted, that figure will drop to just 34%,which indicates the future change in the racial composition of California.[5]On the contrary, Maine’s Caucasian population was 98% of its totalpopulation throughout the 1990s; and by 2025, Maine’s population will still be97% Caucasian, which means virtually no change in Maine's racial diversity overthe next 20 or so years.

1. Why does the woman say the word diversity hasbecome a cliché?

[C]【詳解】采訪者開場第一句就說?diversity一詞在美國已經(jīng)是老生常談(

has become a cliché

),緊接著便道出她之所以這么說的原因:?美國人打開電視或看報紙時都會看到這個詞……,?言下之意即這個詞常見于電視和報紙等媒體,?所以答案為C項。

2. According to Dr Johnson, what is diversity in America?

[C]?【詳解】錄音中?

Dr Johnson

談到?

diversity

時,?給的定義是

more-visibleethnic differences

,?故選C項。

?

3. What does the example of Selins grove show?

[A]?【詳解】主持人問“所以,?美國各地多樣性的程度和類型因地區(qū)各異,?是嗎?”?Dr Johnson回答“完全正確”。故選A項。

?

4. According to Dr Johnson, which place will witness aradical change in its racial makeup by 2025?

[D]【詳解】根據(jù)錄音,到2025年加州的白人比例將從2000年的48%降至34%,表明這一地區(qū)種族構成將會發(fā)生巨大變化,?故選D項。

?

5. What is the similarity between Selinsgrove and Maine according to the interview?

[B]【詳解】根據(jù)選項的一些特征(如Both… the same以及?population和?racial composition等),?推測題目可能要問某兩個地方的某個趨勢或共同之處。錄音中在講Selinsgrove和Maine時,?都提到它們的種族單一性基本沒怎么變,?所以B項“他們的種族構成都很穩(wěn)定”為本題答案。

?

Part Two:

W:

Thisshows that racial diversity is not occurring everywhere. Then what about othertypes of diversity?

M:

Right.The second type of diversity is age diversity. And there are some interestingage gap developing between states. For example, there was a large gap betweenthe average age of the 5 states with the youngest populations and the 5 stateswith the oldest populations. This, of course, is well-known. What is lessdiscussed is the difference between the racial makeup of younger and olderpopulations. [6]?Most of the populations having the greatest racialdiversity are younger on average than the populations with great Caucasianrepresentation.?It is also well-known that Caucasians tend to be moreaffluent than other ethnic groups on average. In our pay-as-you-go socialsecurity system, workers are taxed to pay the benefit of retirees. [7]Sothis could lead to a future where wealth is systematically redistributed fromyounger, poorer minorities to older, wealthier ones.

W:?

This is a very interesting point. Thenwhat is the third type of diversity in the US?

M:

?The third is religious diversity. Immigration from India, Pakistan, and the MiddleEast brought radically increased numbers of Hindus and Muslims to the US. AndChinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and other Asian immigrants increased the numbersof Buddhists.

W:

?Oh, I see.

M:

[8]Butthe point is that these religions didn’t settle everywhere. They settled mainlyin California, and major northeastern and mid-western cities, such as New York,Philadelphia, Chicago and Minneapolis. [9]From 1990 to 2000, the number ofMuslims in New York city grew from 600,000 to nearly 1 million. [10]Inthe Los Angeles area, there are now more than 300 Buddhist temples.

W:

Sowe see that many parts of the US are truly becoming more diverse while at thesame time others are essentially remaining the same in terms of race, age andreligion.

M:

?Yes, that is true.

W:

?OK. Dr Johnson, thank you very much forcoming on the show and talking to us.

M:?

My pleasure.

?

6.What does Dr Johnson indicate during the interview?

[A]【詳解】在談到第二種多樣性時, Dr Johnson指出,?相對來說年輕的人群種族差異較大,?故選A項。

?

7. What could be the result of the pay-as-you gosocial security system?

[B]【詳解】錄音提到,?由此導致的結果可能是,?將來財富會從年輕一代和更為貧困的少數(shù)民族重新分配到年長和更為富有的人手中(

?So this couldlead to... older, wealthier ones

),?可知相對較為年長的人群將會越來越富裕, B為本題答案。

?

8.According to the interview, what do we learn aboutreligious diversity?

[C]【詳解】在談到第三種多樣性(美國社會的宗教多樣性)時,?提到不同宗教背景的移民者有他們偏愛的定居地,?如加州和一些東北和中西部城市。故選C項。

?

9. Which place has witnessed a sharp increase inMuslim population?

[A]【詳解】?Dr Johnson在講?religious diversity時特別指出,?不同宗教背景的移民偏愛不同的居住地,?不是每個地方都會體現(xiàn)出宗教多樣性,?接著舉例說明,?其中提到紐約在1990到2000年間,?穆斯林人數(shù)從60萬增至100萬,?所以本題答案應為A項。

?

10. How many Buddhist temples are there in LosAngeles?

[C]【詳解】這也是?Dr Johnson在指出不同宗教背景的移民偏愛不同的居住地時所舉的具體例子,?他提到洛杉磯地區(qū)的佛教寺廟的數(shù)量是morethan300,?所以本題選C項。