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The greatest contribution to civilization in the century may well be the air-conditioning- and American leads just as amazing is the speed with which this situation came to be. Air-conditioning began to spread in industries as a production aid during World War Ⅱ. Today most Americans need to take air-conditioning for granted to homes, offices, factories, theatres, shops, studios, schools, hotels, and restaurants.
But not everybody is aware that high cost and easy comfort are merely two of the effects of the vast cooling of American. In fact, air conditioning has substantially altered the country’s character and customs.
Many of the byproducts are so conspicuous that they are scarcely noticed. To begin with, air-conditioning transformed the face of America by making possible those glassy, boxy, sealed-in skyscrapers. It has been indispensable, no less, to the functioning of sensitive advanced computers, whose high operating temperatures require that they be constantly cooled. . .
It has, at will, forced families into retreating into families with closed doors and shut windows, reducing the interactions of neighborhood life. It is really surprising that the public’s often noted withdrawal into self-pursuit and privacy has coincided with the historic spread of air-conditioning. Though science has little studied how habitual air-conditioning affects mind and body, some medical experts suggest that, like other technical avoidance of natural variations in climate, air-conditioning may damage the human capacity to adapt to stress. If so, air-conditioning is only like many other greatly useful technical developments that liberate man from nature by increasing his productivity and power in some way - while indirectly weakening him in others.
11. According to this selection, which of the following constitutes the unique character of U.S.?
A) Its excessive use of air-conditioning.
B) Its advanced computerized civilization.
C) Its public’s retreating into self-pursuit.
D) Its greatest contribution to human civilization.
12. According to the author, the chief consequence brought about by the wide application of air-conditioning is ____.
A) the loss of human capacity to adapt to changes in climate
B) the reduction of social communications of neighborhood life
C) the active life style of all its users
D) the decreased human production and power
13. The tone of this selection reveals that air-conditioning ____.
A) has little effect on its users
B) has more effect on body than on mind
C) brings more benefits than damage to its users
D) does harm as well as good to its users
14. Who benefits the least from air-conditioning according to the author?
A) Medical experts.
B) Manufacturers.
C) Factory laborers.
D) Consumers.
15. What is the author’s overall attitude towards air-conditioning?
A) Neutral
B) Objective
C) Critical
D) Compromising
答案：
1.A)Its excessive use of air-conditiong对应原文Today most Americans need to take air-conditioning for granted to homes, offices, factories, theatres, shops, studios, schools, hotels, and restaurants.
take sth for granted认为某事理所当然
2.B)the reduction of social communications of neighborhood life对应原文forced families into retreating into families with closed doors and shut windows, reducing the interactions of neighborhood life
neighborhood life社区生活
选项A并未对应题干中的According to the author 而是对应原文中的some medical experts suggest that
3.标准答案是C)brings more benefits than damage to its users，但我认为应该选D)does harm as well as good to its users，对应原文最后一句If so, air-conditioning is only like many other greatly useful technical developments(positive words) that liberate man from nature by increasing his productivity and power in some way - while indirectly weakening him in others(negative words)，于是does harm as well as good to its users.
4.D)Consumers是最精确的。原文直接批判空调的一句话是forced families into retreating into families with closed doors and shut windows, reducing the interactions of neighborhood life，显然according to the author，consumers为从空调中受益最少的。而ABC三个选项，BC可以作为by increasing his productivity的受益者，A的工作性质则完全与空调无关，ABC甚至也都可以成为D的一种。
5.C)Critical对应原文It has, at will, forced，听起来很像批判。
at will随意 任意
adj. 显著的，显而易见的，显眼的
