41.His colleagues thought highly of him though he himself didn’t think he had done anything special.

2. Passage Twenty-FiveOnline dating has just been revealed to be one of the most common ways to start a relationship.But new research reveals that the concept is still highly flawed (有缺陷的).An analysis of 400 studies into online dating shows that while it offers access to plenty of other singles， users can be overwhelmed and put off by the volume of choice， defeating the purpose.The research， by Northwestern University and published in the journal Psychological Science in the public interest， found that the processes involved don’t lend themselves to forming strong relationships.The findings also indicated that the concept of an online profile (介绍)is not entirely useful and “can result in treating potential partners as mere objects”.Lead author Eli.J.Finkel explained， “Online dating is a terrific addition for singles to meet.However， there are two problems.” First， studying over seemingly endless lists of profiles of people one does not know， as on Match.com， does not reveal much about them.Second， it “overloads people and they end up shutting down，” he said.He compared it to shopping at “supermarkets of love” and said psychological research shows people presented with too many choices tend to make lazy and often poor decisions.The study’s authors also questioned the algorithms (算法)employed by sites such as eHarmony.com to match people based on their interests or personality—comparing it to having a real estate agent of love.While the algorithm may reduce the number of potential partners from thousands to a few， they may be as unsuitable for each other as two people meeting at random， Dr.Finkel explained， adding the chances are no better than finding a relationship by walking into any bar.“There’s no better way to figure out whether you’re a match with somebody than talking to them over a coffee or beer，” Dr.Finkel said.According to Paragraph 2， online dating ().

1. Passage Twenty-FiveOnline dating has just been revealed to be one of the most common ways to start a relationship.But new research reveals that the concept is still highly flawed (有缺陷的).An analysis of 400 studies into online dating shows that while it offers access to plenty of other singles， users can be overwhelmed and put off by the volume of choice， defeating the purpose.The research， by Northwestern University and published in the journal Psychological Science in the public interest， found that the processes involved don’t lend themselves to forming strong relationships.The findings also indicated that the concept of an online profile (介绍)is not entirely useful and “can result in treating potential partners as mere objects”.Lead author Eli.J.Finkel explained， “Online dating is a terrific addition for singles to meet.However， there are two problems.” First， studying over seemingly endless lists of profiles of people one does not know， as on Match.com， does not reveal much about them.Second， it “overloads people and they end up shutting down，” he said.He compared it to shopping at “supermarkets of love” and said psychological research shows people presented with too many choices tend to make lazy and often poor decisions.The study’s authors also questioned the algorithms (算法)employed by sites such as eHarmony.com to match people based on their interests or personality—comparing it to having a real estate agent of love.While the algorithm may reduce the number of potential partners from thousands to a few， they may be as unsuitable for each other as two people meeting at random， Dr.Finkel explained， adding the chances are no better than finding a relationship by walking into any bar.“There’s no better way to figure out whether you’re a match with somebody than talking to them over a coffee or beer，” Dr.Finkel said.What is the author’s attitude towards online dating?

5. Passage Twenty-FourSocial change is more likely to occur in societies where there is a mixture of different kinds of people than in societies where people are similar in many ways.The simple reason for this is that there are more different ways of looking at things present in the first kind of society.There are more ideas， more disagreements in interest， and more groups and organizations with different beliefs.In addition， there is usually a greater worldly interest and greater tolerance in mixed societies.All these factors tend to promote social change by opening more areas of life to decision.In a society where people are quite similar in many ways， there are fewer occasions for people to see the need or the opportunity for change because everything seems to be the same.And although conditions may not be satisfactory， they are at least customary and undisputed.Within a society， social changes is also likely to occur more frequently and more readily in the material aspects of the culture than in the non-material， for example， in technology rather than in values; in what has been learned later in life rather than what was learned early; in the less basic and less emotional aspects of society than in their opposites; in the simple elements rather than in the complex ones; in form rather than in substance; and in elements that are acceptable to the culture rather than in strange elements.Furthermore， social change is easier if it is gradual.For example， it comes more readily in human relations on a continuous scale rather than one with sharp dichotomies (一分为二).This is one reason why change has not come more quickly to Black American as compared to other American minorities， because of the sharp difference in “appearance between them and their white counterparts”.Social change is less likely to occur in a society where people are quite similar in many ways because ().

4. Passage Twenty-FourSocial change is more likely to occur in societies where there is a mixture of different kinds of people than in societies where people are similar in many ways.The simple reason for this is that there are more different ways of looking at things present in the first kind of society.There are more ideas， more disagreements in interest， and more groups and organizations with different beliefs.In addition， there is usually a greater worldly interest and greater tolerance in mixed societies.All these factors tend to promote social change by opening more areas of life to decision.In a society where people are quite similar in many ways， there are fewer occasions for people to see the need or the opportunity for change because everything seems to be the same.And although conditions may not be satisfactory， they are at least customary and undisputed.Within a society， social changes is also likely to occur more frequently and more readily in the material aspects of the culture than in the non-material， for example， in technology rather than in values; in what has been learned later in life rather than what was learned early; in the less basic and less emotional aspects of society than in their opposites; in the simple elements rather than in the complex ones; in form rather than in substance; and in elements that are acceptable to the culture rather than in strange elements.Furthermore， social change is easier if it is gradual.For example， it comes more readily in human relations on a continuous scale rather than one with sharp dichotomies (一分为二).This is one reason why change has not come more quickly to Black American as compared to other American minorities， because of the sharp difference in “appearance between them and their white counterparts”.In the first paragraph， “greater tolerance” probably refers to ().

3. Passage Twenty-FourSocial change is more likely to occur in societies where there is a mixture of different kinds of people than in societies where people are similar in many ways.The simple reason for this is that there are more different ways of looking at things present in the first kind of society.There are more ideas， more disagreements in interest， and more groups and organizations with different beliefs.In addition， there is usually a greater worldly interest and greater tolerance in mixed societies.All these factors tend to promote social change by opening more areas of life to decision.In a society where people are quite similar in many ways， there are fewer occasions for people to see the need or the opportunity for change because everything seems to be the same.And although conditions may not be satisfactory， they are at least customary and undisputed.Within a society， social changes is also likely to occur more frequently and more readily in the material aspects of the culture than in the non-material， for example， in technology rather than in values; in what has been learned later in life rather than what was learned early; in the less basic and less emotional aspects of society than in their opposites; in the simple elements rather than in the complex ones; in form rather than in substance; and in elements that are acceptable to the culture rather than in strange elements.Furthermore， social change is easier if it is gradual.For example， it comes more readily in human relations on a continuous scale rather than one with sharp dichotomies (一分为二).This is one reason why change has not come more quickly to Black American as compared to other American minorities， because of the sharp difference in “appearance between them and their white counterparts”.According to the passage， which of the following is NOT true?

2. Passage Twenty-FourSocial change is more likely to occur in societies where there is a mixture of different kinds of people than in societies where people are similar in many ways.The simple reason for this is that there are more different ways of looking at things present in the first kind of society.There are more ideas， more disagreements in interest， and more groups and organizations with different beliefs.In addition， there is usually a greater worldly interest and greater tolerance in mixed societies.All these factors tend to promote social change by opening more areas of life to decision.In a society where people are quite similar in many ways， there are fewer occasions for people to see the need or the opportunity for change because everything seems to be the same.And although conditions may not be satisfactory， they are at least customary and undisputed.Within a society， social changes is also likely to occur more frequently and more readily in the material aspects of the culture than in the non-material， for example， in technology rather than in values; in what has been learned later in life rather than what was learned early; in the less basic and less emotional aspects of society than in their opposites; in the simple elements rather than in the complex ones; in form rather than in substance; and in elements that are acceptable to the culture rather than in strange elements.Furthermore， social change is easier if it is gradual.For example， it comes more readily in human relations on a continuous scale rather than one with sharp dichotomies (一分为二).This is one reason why change has not come more quickly to Black American as compared to other American minorities， because of the sharp difference in “appearance between them and their white counterparts”.()is one of the factors that tend to promote social change.

1. Passage Twenty-FourSocial change is more likely to occur in societies where there is a mixture of different kinds of people than in societies where people are similar in many ways.The simple reason for this is that there are more different ways of looking at things present in the first kind of society.There are more ideas， more disagreements in interest， and more groups and organizations with different beliefs.In addition， there is usually a greater worldly interest and greater tolerance in mixed societies.All these factors tend to promote social change by opening more areas of life to decision.In a society where people are quite similar in many ways， there are fewer occasions for people to see the need or the opportunity for change because everything seems to be the same.And although conditions may not be satisfactory， they are at least customary and undisputed.Within a society， social changes is also likely to occur more frequently and more readily in the material aspects of the culture than in the non-material， for example， in technology rather than in values; in what has been learned later in life rather than what was learned early; in the less basic and less emotional aspects of society than in their opposites; in the simple elements rather than in the complex ones; in form rather than in substance; and in elements that are acceptable to the culture rather than in strange elements.Furthermore， social change is easier if it is gradual.For example， it comes more readily in human relations on a continuous scale rather than one with sharp dichotomies (一分为二).This is one reason why change has not come more quickly to Black American as compared to other American minorities， because of the sharp difference in “appearance between them and their white counterparts”.The passage has mainly discussed ().

5. Passage Twenty-ThreeWashington Irving was America’s first man of letters to be known internationally.His works were received enthusiastically both in England and in the United States.He was， in fact， one of the most successful writers of his time in the country， and at the same time winning the admiration of fellow writers like Scott in Britain and Poe and Hawthorne in the United States.The respect in which he was held was partly owing to the man himself， with his warm friendliness， his good sense， his urbanity， his gay spirits， his artistic integrity， his love of both the Old World and the New.Thackery described Irving as “a gentleman， who， though himself born in no very high sphere， was most finished， polished， witty; socially the equal of the most refined Europeans.” In England he was granted an honorary degree from Oxford—an unusual honor for a citizen of a young， uncultured nation—and he received the medal of the Royal Society of Literature.America made him ambassador to Spain.Irving’s background provides little to explain his literary achievements.A gifted but delicate child， he had little schooling.He studied law， but without zeal， and never did practice seriously.He was immune to his strict Presbyterian home environment， frequenting both social gatherings and the theatre.Why might Irving’s literary ability have been surprising to the English?

4. Passage Twenty-ThreeWashington Irving was America’s first man of letters to be known internationally.His works were received enthusiastically both in England and in the United States.He was， in fact， one of the most successful writers of his time in the country， and at the same time winning the admiration of fellow writers like Scott in Britain and Poe and Hawthorne in the United States.The respect in which he was held was partly owing to the man himself， with his warm friendliness， his good sense， his urbanity， his gay spirits， his artistic integrity， his love of both the Old World and the New.Thackery described Irving as “a gentleman， who， though himself born in no very high sphere， was most finished， polished， witty; socially the equal of the most refined Europeans.” In England he was granted an honorary degree from Oxford—an unusual honor for a citizen of a young， uncultured nation—and he received the medal of the Royal Society of Literature.America made him ambassador to Spain.Irving’s background provides little to explain his literary achievements.A gifted but delicate child， he had little schooling.He studied law， but without zeal， and never did practice seriously.He was immune to his strict Presbyterian home environment， frequenting both social gatherings and the theatre.Which of the following best describes the effect of Irving’s personal qualities on his literary success?

3. Passage Twenty-ThreeWashington Irving was America’s first man of letters to be known internationally.His works were received enthusiastically both in England and in the United States.He was， in fact， one of the most successful writers of his time in the country， and at the same time winning the admiration of fellow writers like Scott in Britain and Poe and Hawthorne in the United States.The respect in which he was held was partly owing to the man himself， with his warm friendliness， his good sense， his urbanity， his gay spirits， his artistic integrity， his love of both the Old World and the New.Thackery described Irving as “a gentleman， who， though himself born in no very high sphere， was most finished， polished， witty; socially the equal of the most refined Europeans.” In England he was granted an honorary degree from Oxford—an unusual honor for a citizen of a young， uncultured nation—and he received the medal of the Royal Society of Literature.America made him ambassador to Spain.Irving’s background provides little to explain his literary achievements.A gifted but delicate child， he had little schooling.He studied law， but without zeal， and never did practice seriously.He was immune to his strict Presbyterian home environment， frequenting both social gatherings and the theatre.Which of the following best describes the effect of Irving’s Presbyterian background on his life?