最新英语专业高级英语阅读期末考试题

试卷类型：A 考试形式：闭卷

本试题共 4 大题，7 页，满分100 分，考试时间为120 分钟，答案请写在答卷上，否则无效PART Ⅰ: Write a summary of the following text. This summary should include

the main points in your own words with NO MORE THAN 200 words. (40%)

Children Must be Taught to Tell Right from Wrong

William Kilpatrick

Many of today’s young people have a difficult time seeing any moral dimension to their actions. There are a number of reasons why that’s true, but none more prominent than a failed system of education that eschews (回避) teaching children the traditional moral values that bind Americans together as a society and a culture. That failed approach, called “decision-making,” was introduced in schools 25 years ago. It tells children to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. It replaced “character education. (品格教育)” Character education didn’t ask children to reinvent the moral wheel (浪费时间重新发明早已存在的道德标准); instead, it encouraged them to practice habits of courage, justice and self-control.

In the 1940s, when a character education approach prevailed, teachers worried about students chewing gum; today they worry about robbery and rape.

Decision-making curriculums pose thorny (棘手的) ethical dilemmas to students, leaving them with the impression that all morality is problematic and that all questions of right and wrong are in dispute. Youngsters are forced to question values and virtues they’ve never acquired in the first place or upon which they have only a tenuous (薄弱的) hold. The assumption behind this method is that students will arrive at good moral conclusions if only they are given the chance. But the actual result is moral confusion.

For example, a recent national study of 1,700 sixth- to ninth-graders revealed that a majority of boys considered rape to be acceptable under certain conditions. Astoundingly, many of the girls agreed.

This kind of moral illiteracy is further encouraged by values-education (价值观教育) programs that are little more than courses in self-esteem (自尊). These programs are based on the questionable assumpt ion that a child who feels good about himself or herself won’t want to do anything wrong. But it is just as reasonable to make an opposite assumption: namely, that a child who has uncritical self-regard will conclude that he or she can’t do anything bad.

Such naive self-acceptance results in large part from the non-directive (无指导性的), non-judgmental (无是非观的), as-long-as-you-feel-comfortable-with-your-choices mentality (思想) that has pervaded (渗透) public education for the last two and one-half decades. Many of today’s drug education, sex education and values-education courses are based on the same 1960s philosophy that helped fuel the explosion in teen drug use and sexual activity in the first place.

Meanwhile, while educators are still fiddling with (胡乱摆弄) outd ated “feel-good” approaches, New York, Washington, and Los Angeles are burning. Youngsters are leaving school believing that matters of right and wrong are always merely subjective. If you pass a stranger on the street and decide to murder him because you need money—if it feels right—you go with that

feeling. Clearly, murder is not taught in our schools, but such a conclusion—just about any conclusion—can be reached and justified using the decision-making method.

It is time to consign (寄出) the fads (风尚) of “decision-making” and “non-judgmentalism” to the ash heap of failed policies, and return to a proved method. Character education provides a much more realistic approach to moral formation. It is built on an understanding that we learn morality not by debating it but by practicing it.

PART Ⅱ. Read the following poem and write the theme of the poem and your afterthoughts on the answer sheet. (30%)

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other so und’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Part ⅢReading Comprehension (20%)

Passage one

A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small-minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment. For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence.

Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world. The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality.

Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshnes s of daily life: if you didn’t take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday, remember, you

might be in the same situation. Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. "I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner—amazing." Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly.

The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition. As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. Visitors who fail to "translate" cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word "friend", the cultural implications of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor’s language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many Americans value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.

1. In the eyes of visitors from the outside world, ___________.

A. rude taxi drivers are everywhere in the US

B. small-minded officials deserve a serious comment

C. Canadians are not so friendly as their neighbors

D. most Americans are ready to offer help

2. It could be inferred from the last paragraph that ___________.

A. culture exercises an influence over social interrelationship

B. courteous convention and individual interest are interrelated

C. various virtues manifest themselves exclusively among friends

D. social interrelationships equal the complex set of cultural conventions

3. Families in frontier settlements used to entertain strangers ___________.

A. to improve their hard life

B. in view of their long-distance travel

C. to add some flavor to their own daily life

D. out of a charitable impulse

4. The tradition of hospitality to strangers ___________.

A. tends to be superficial and artificial

B. is generally well kept up in the United States

C. is always understood properly

D. has something to do with the busy tourist trails

5. What’s the author’s attitudes toward the American’s friendliness?

A. Favorable.

B. Unfavorable.

C. Indifferent.

D. Neutral.

Passage Two

A new high-performance contact lens under development at the department for applied physics at the University of Heidelberg will not only correct ordinary vision defects but will enhance normal night vision as much as five times, making people’s vision sharper than that of cats.

Bille and his team work with an optical instrument called an active mirror — a device used

in astronomical telescopes to spot newly emerging stars and far distant galaxies. Connected to a wave-front sensor that tracks and measures the course of a laser beam into the eye and back, the aluminum mirror detects the deficiencies of the cornea, the transparent protective layer covering the lens of the human eye. The highly precise data from the two instruments — which, Bille hopes, will one day be found at the opticians (眼镜商) all over the world —serve as a basis for the production of completely individualized contact lenses that correct and enhance the wearer’s vision.

By day, Bille’s contact lenses will focus rays of light so accurately on the retina （视网膜）that the image of a small leaf or the outline of a far distant tree will be formed with a sharpness that surpasses that of conventional vision aids by almost half a diopter (屈光度). At night, the lenses have an even greater potential. “Because the new lens —in contrast to the already existing ones —also works when it’s dark and the pupil is wide open,”says Bille, “lens wearers will be able to identify a face at a dis tance of 100 meters” — 80 meters farther than they would normally be able to see. In his experiments night vision was enhanced by an even greater factor: in semi-darkness, test subjects could see up to 15 times better than without the lenses.

Bille’s lenses are expected to reach the market in the year 2000, and one tentative plan is to use the Internet to transmit information on patients’visual defects from the optician to the manufacturer, who will then produce and mail the contact lenses within a couple of days. The physicist expects the lenses to cost about a dollar a pair, about the same as conventional one-day disposable lenses.

6. The new contact lens is meant for _______.

A. astronomical observations

B .the night blind

C. those with vision defects

D. Optical experiments

7. What do the two instruments mentioned in the second paragraph refer to?

A. The astronomical telescope and the wave-front sensor.

B. The aluminum mirror and the laser beam.

C. The active mirror and the contact lens.

D. The aluminum mirror and the wave-front sensor.

8. What does “individualized contact lenses” mean in paragraph 2?

A. lenses to work like an astronomical telescope

B. lenses to suit the wearer’s specific needs

C. lenses to process extremely accurate data

D. lenses to test the wearer’s eyesight

9. According to Bille, with the new lenses the wearer’s vision _____.

A. will be far better at night than in the daytime

B. may be improved about 15 times than without them

C. can be better in the daytime than at night

D. changes not so obvious at the day time.

10. Which of the following is true about Bille’s lenses?

A. Their production can only satisfy a small group of customers.

B. They will be sold at a very low price.

C. They have to be replaced every day.

考研英语阅读理解模拟试题及答案(三)

考研英语阅读理解模拟试题及答案(三) Passage 11 Dream is a story that a personwatchesor even takes part in during sleep. Dream events are imaginary, but they are related to real experiences and needs in the dreamer's life. They seem real while they are taking place. Some dreams are pleasant, others are annoying, and still others are frightening. Everyone dreams, but some persons never recall dreaming. Others remember only a little about a dream they had just before awakening and nothing about earlier dreams. No one recalls all his dreams. Dreams involve little logical thought. In most dreams, the dreamer cannot control what happens to him. The story may be confusing, and things happen that would not happen in real life. People see in most dreams, but they may also hear, smell, touch, and taste in their dreams. Most dreams occur in color. but persons who have been blind since birth do not see at all in dreams. Dreams are a product of the sleeper's mind. They

(英语)英语阅读理解练习题含答案及解析

一、中考英语阅读理解汇编 1．阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C三个选项中，选出最佳选项。 What will the world of the future be like? There are plenty of people who are happy to give their opinion of what we will be doing in 2050. Here are two predictions about the world of tomorrow. When we dream about the future, many like to think of owning a personal flying car. The advantages are obvious. This technology would allow total freedom of movement. We could fly at 480 km per hour, avoiding traffic lights and busy roads. However, some people believe there will be problems with traffic control. If the cars become popular, there is likely to be air traffic jam. Another big problem is mechanical failure. What will happen if the cars stop working? These are problems we must expect if flying cars become a reality. Three-dimensional printing is another new technology with exciting possibilities. 3D printers are used to build an object with liquid plastic. They build the object layer by layer until it is complete. Car companies already use 3D printers to make life-size models of car parts, and medical companies use the technology to make man-made body parts. As we move into the future, 3D printing will revolutionize the way we shop, the way we manufacture and the way we treat sick people. The disadvantage is that such equipment will be extremely expensive. So in the future, we might be able to fly to work or print out new shoes. Although there are some problems to solve before this will be possible, we can certainly dream of a world where technology makes life easier and safer for millions of people. （1）What is the passage mainly about? A. Environmental protection. B. The world of tomorrow. C. Advantages of technology. （2）What do we learn from the passage? A. Some people think technology development may bring new problems B. 3D printing can bring great changes to our life and its equipment is cheap. C. The flying cars won't bring air traffic jam even when they become popular.

初中英语阅读理解题库

班级: 姓名: 考场: 座号: 密封线 An old lady in a plane had a blanket (毯子over her head and she did not want to take it off . The air hostess spoke to her, but the old lady said, “I have never been in a plane before , and I am frightened. I am going to keep this blanket over my head until we are back on the ground again !” Then the captain came. He said, “Madam, I am the captain of this plane. The weather is fine, there are no clouds in the sky, and everything is going very well. ”But she continued to hide. So the captain turned and started to go back. Then the old lady looked out from under the blanket with one eye and said, “I am sorry, young man, but I don’t like planes and I am never going to fly again. But I’ll say one thing, ”She continued kindly, “You and yo ur wife keep your plane very clean!” 1. An old lady had _________ . A. glasses B. a blanket over her head C. a coat D. a basket 2. A. She didn’t want to ________ . A. take it off B. turn it off C. get on D. talk about it 3. _________ spoke to her . A. The air hostess

最新《商务英语阅读》期末考试试卷-A卷

广东外语外贸大学成人高等教育 商务英语（专科）2018学年第1学期 《商务英语阅读》试题（A 卷） 年级： 考试形式：闭卷 考试时间：90分钟 Part I Multiple Choices (15 points, 1 point each) Direction : There are 15 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four Choices 1. The fifth generation computers, with artificial intelligence, _______ and perfected now. A. developed B. have developed C. are being developed D. will have been developed 2. Y ou _______ her in her office last Friday; she’s been out of town for two weeks. A. needn’t have seen B. must have seen C. might have seen D. can’t have seen 3. She’s always been kind to me – I can’t just turn ______on her now that she needs my help. A. my back B. my head C. my eye D. shoulder 4. Careful surveys have indicated that as many as 50 percent of patients do not take drugs _______ directed. A. like B. so C. which D. as 5. The _______ goal of the book is to help bridge the gap between research and teaching, particularly the gap between researchers and teachers. A. joint B. intensive C. overall D. decisive 6. W e can accept your order _______ payment is made in advance. A. in the belief that B. in order that C. on the excuse that D. on condition that 7. The medical experts warned the authorities of the danger of diseases in the _______ of the earthquake. A. consequence B. aftermath C. results D. effect 8. Research universities have to keep up with the latest computer and scientific hardware _______ price. A. on account of B. regardless of C. in addition to D. not to mention 9. I am surprised _______ this city is a dull place to live in. A. that you would think B. by what you are thinking C. that you should think D. with what you were thinking 10. Don’t let the child play with scissors _______ he cuts himself. A. in case B. so that C. now that D. only if 11. They always give the vacant seats to _______ comes first. A. whoever B. whomever C. who D. whom 12. Doing your homework is a sure way to improve your test scores, and this is especially true _______ it comes to classroom tests. A. when B. since C. before D. after 13. Personal computers are no longer something beyond the ordinary people; they are _______ available these days. A. promptly B. instantly C. readily D. quickly 14. Owing to _______ competition among the airlines, travel expenses have been reduced considerably . A. fierce B. strained C. eager D. critical 15. Doctor often ______uneasiness in the people they deal with. A. smell B. sense C. hear D. tough Part II Word Match (15 points, 1 point each) Direction : Match the following words with their definitions within each group of five words. Write Group 1 1. authentic A. having powers of learning, reasoning or understanding 2. commitment B. twist; changing shape 3. exaggerate C. a promise or decision to do something 4. intelligent D. real; true and accurate 5. distortion E. say more than the truth about something Group 2 6. authority A. basic; central; forming the necessary basis of something 7. donate B. something that is considered more important than other matters 8. substantial C. the right or ability to control 9. priority D. give something for the benefit of others 10. fundamental E. large in size, value or importance Part III Sentence Completion (10 points, 1 point each) 1. George is not only a skillful painter, but also a ______ writer. (talent) 2. The ________ John to Mary was announced in the newspapers yesterday . (engage) 3. I love the movie because the _______ is my favorite. (act) 4. _______ to say , this absent-minded professor left his umbrella in the classroom again. (need) 5. I'm afraid the girl is a little ________ for her age and height. (weight)

(英语)英语阅读理解练习题20篇及解析

（英语）英语阅读理解练习题20篇及解析 一、高中英语阅读理解 1．阅读理解 Many people have long dreamed of being able to fly around as simply as riding a bicycle. Yet the safety and strength of a flying bike was always a big problem. Over the past 10 years, developments in technology have moved the dream of personal flying vehicles closer to reality. Now, two groups of inventors say such vehicles may be available soon. The British company Malloy Aeronautics has developed a prototype (原型) of its flying bicycle. Grant Stapleton, marketing sales director of Malloy Aeronautics, says the Hoverbike is able to get in and out of small spaces very quickly. It can be moved across continents very quickly because it can be folded and packed, he adds. Mr. Stapleton says safety was the company's main concern. He says the designers solved the safety issue by using overlapping rotors ( 交叠式旋翼 )to power the vehicle. The company is testing a full-size prototype of the Hoverbike, which will most likely be used first by the police and emergency rescue teams. In New Zealand, the Martin Aircraft Company is also testing a full-size prototype of its personal flying device, called the Jetpack. It can fly for more than 30 minutes, up to 1,000 meters high and reach a speed of 74 kilometers per hour. Peter Coker is the CEO of Martin Aircraft Company. He said the Jetpack “is built around safety from the start. In his words, reliability is the most important element of it. We have safety built into the actual structure itself, very similar to a Formula One racing car.” The Jetpack uses a gasoline-powered engine that produces two powerful jet streams. Mr. Coker says it also has a parachute (降落伞) that can be used should there be an emergency. “It starts to work at very low altitude and actually saves both the aircraft and the pilot,” he adds. Mr. Coker says the Jetpack will be ready for sale soon. （1）We can learn from the passage that the Hoverbike . A. can hardly get in and out of small spaces quickly B. can fly for over 30 minutes, up to 1,000 meters high C. has been used by the police and emergency rescue teams D. can be transported quickly after being folded and packed （2）The writer uses the example of For One racing car to show that . A. the Jetpack is very safe and reliable B. the engine of the Jetpack is powerful C. the actual structure of the Jetpack is unique D. the Jetpack can reach a great speed and height （3）The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer s to. A. the jet stream B. the engine C. the Jetpack D. the parachute （4）What is the authors main purpose of writing the passage? A. To describe the problems of inventing flying vehicles. B. To introduce the latest development of flying vehicles. C. To show the differences between two flying vehicles. D. To advertise the two personal

高中英语阅读理解基础测试题题库 百度文库

一、高中英语阅读理解 1．阅读理解 At the age of seven, while his friends were spending pocket money on things like candy and toys, Jose Adolfo was busy saving money for more essential purchases. To try to get his peers to do the same, the youngster from Arequipa, Peru came up with the innovative idea of an eco-bank, which allows kids of all ages to gain economic independence—while also helping the environment. Established in 2012, the Bartselana Student Bank is the world's first bank for kids. To open an account, kids have to bring in at least 5 kilograms of solid waste (paper or plastic) and establish a savings goal. Once accepted, all bank "partners" are required to deposit(存储) at least one additional kilogram of recyclables on a monthly basis and meet other requirements, such as attending financial education and environmental management workshops. The waste collected is sold to local recycling companies, who, thanks to Jose, pay a higher-than-market rate for everything brought in by Bartselana Student Bank members. The funds received are placed in the individual's account until his/her savings goal is reached. The account holder can then withdraw his/her money, or choose to leave it and continue to grow for a bigger target. "At the beginning, my teachers thought I was crazy," Jose recalls. "They did not understand that we are not the future of the country but its present. Luckily. I had the support of the school principal." By 2013, the bank had over 200 members who brought in one ton of recyclable waste. Today, the eco-bank, which now has the support of several local institutions, has ten educational centers. They are designed to teach the over 3,000 members both finance and environmental management. On December 6, 2018, in response to the growing demand, Bartselana Student Bank began accepting applications from kids all across Peru. As the teenager says, "Together we can change the world. We just need an opportunity." （1）What is the purpose of the eco-bank? A. To involve kids in the management of the local recycling companies. B. To help kids get pocket money to spend on things like candy and toys. C. To show kids how important it is to learn environmental management. D. To get kids to help the environment and be economically independent. （2）What duty does an eco-bank member have to perform? A. Attending financial education workshops. B. Bringing in 5 kilos of waste. C. Saving one kilo of solid waste weekly. D. Establishing a savings goal. （3）What does the underlined part in Paragraph 4 mean? A. Kids are more responsible when growing up. B. The future of the country relies mainly on kids. C. Kids can contribute to the society though young. D. The present is a vital period for kid development. （4）Which of the following words can best describe Jose? A. Generous. B. Crazy. C. Flexible. D. Influential.

12级英语阅读欣赏期末考试试卷

2013-2014学年第二学期 期末考试试卷 年级 13级大专 专业 各专业 层次 各层次 科目 英语阅读欣赏 I. Multiple Choice (30 points in all, 1 for each) Select from the four choices of each item the one that best answers the question or completes the statement. Mark the corresponding letter A, B, C or D on the answer sheet. 1. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This humorous speech is from___ B _______. A. Jane Austen ’s Emma B. Jane Austen ’s Pride and Prejudice C. Charles Dickins ’ The Great Expectation D. Charlotte Bronte ’s Jane Eyre The most 2. The important contribution of __ B ____ is that he not only started the modern poetry, but also changed the course of English poetry by using ordinary speech of the language and by advocating a return to nature. A. William Blake B. William Wordsworth C. G. G. Byron D. John Keats 3. In the Victorian Period __ B ____ became the most widely read and the most vital and challenging expression of progressive thought. A. poetry B. novel C. prose D. drama 4. Thomas Hardy’s _ A _____ view of life predominates most of his works and earns him a reputation as a ________ writer. A. pessimistic, naturalistic B. pessimistic, humorous C. romantic, realist D. determinist, stylistic 5. “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? ... And if God had gifted me with some beauty, and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. ” The quoted lines are most probably taken from ___ C _____. A. Great Expectations B. Wuthering Heights C. Jane Eyre D. Pride and Prejudice 6. Jane Austen’ s first novel __A ______ tells a story about two sisters and their love affairs. A. Sense and Sensibility B. Pride and Prejudice C. Northanger Abbey D. Mansfield Park

高级英语6 Paraphase-期末考试 复习答案

Unit 2 The Fine Art of Putting Things Off Michael Demarest 1"Never put off till tomorrow," exhorted Lord Chesterfield in 1749, "what you can do today." That the elegant earl never got around to marrying his son's mother and had a bad habit of keeping worthies like Dr. Johnson cooling their heels for hours in an anteroom attests to the fact that even the most well-intentioned men have been postponers ever. Quintus Fabius Maximus, one of the great Roman generals, was dubbed "Cunctator " (Delayer) for putting off battle until the last possible vinum break. Moses pleaded a speech defect to rationalize his reluctance to deliver Jehovah's edicts to Pharaoh. Hamlet, of course, raised procrastination to an art form. 2The world is probably about evenly divided between delayers and do-it-nowers. There are those who prepare their income taxes in February, prepay mortgages and serve precisely planned dinners at an ungodly 6:30 . The other half dine happily on leftovers at 9 or 10, misplace bills and file for an extension of the income tax deadline. They seldom pay credit-card bills until the apocalyptic voice of Diners threatens doom from Denver. They postpone, as Faustian encounters, visits to barbershop, dentist or doctor. 3Yet for all the trouble procrastination may incur, delay can often inspire and revive a creative soul. Jean Kerr, author of many successful novels and plays, says that she reads every soup-can and jamjar label in her kitchen before settling down to her typewriter. Many a writer focuses on almost anything but his task—for example, on the Coast and Geodetic Survey of Maine's Frenchman Bay and Bar Harbor, stimulating his imagination with names like Googins Ledge, Blunts Pond, Hio Hill and Burnt Porcupine, Long Porcupine, Sheep Porcupine and Bald Porcupine islands. 4From Cunctator's day until this century, the art of postponement had been virtually a monopoly of the military ("Hurry up and wait"), diplomacy and the law. In former times, a British proconsul faced with a native uprising could comfortably ruminate about the situation with Singapore Sling in hand. Blessedly, he had no nattering Telex to order in machine guns and fresh troops. A U.S. general as late as World War II could agree with his enemy counterpart to take a sporting day off, loot the villagers' chickens and wine and go back to battle a day later. Lawyers are among the world's most addicted postponers. According to Frank Nathan, a nonpost-poning Beverly Hills insurance salesman, "The number of attorneys who die without a will is amazing." 5Even where there is no will, there is a way. There is a difference, of course, between chronic procrastination and purposeful postponement, particularly in the higher echelons of business. Corporate dynamics encourage the caution that breeds delay, says Richard Manderbach, Bank of America group vice president. He notes that speedy action can be embarrassing or extremely costly. The data explosion fortifies those seeking excuses for inaction—another report to be read, another authority to be consulted. "There is always," says Manderbach, "a delicate edge between having enough information and too much." 6His point is well taken. Bureaucratization, which flourished amid the growing burdens of government and the greater complexity of society, was designed to smother policymakers in blankets of legalism, compromise and reappraisal—and thereby prevent hasty decisions from being made. The centralization of government that led to Watergate has spread to economic institutions and beyond, making procrastination a worldwide way of life. Many languages are studded with phrases that refer to putting things off—from the Spanish ma?ana to the Arabic bukra fil mishmish(literally "tomorrow in apricots," more loosely "leave it for the soft spring weather when the apricots are blooming"). 7Academe also takes high honors in procrastination. Bernard Sklar, a University of Southern California sociologist who churns out three to five pages of writing a day, admits that "many of my friends go through agonies when they face a blank page. There are all sorts of rationalizations: the pressure of teaching, responsibilities at home, checking out the latest book, looking up another footnote." 8Psychologists maintain that the most assiduous procrastinators are women, though many psychologists are (at $50-plus an hour) pretty good delayers themselves. Dr. Ralph Greenson, a professor of clinical psychiatry (and Marilyn Monroe's onetime shrink), takes a fairly gentle view of procrastination. "To many people," he says, "doing something, confronting, is the moment of truth. All frightened people will then avoid the moment of truth entirely, or evade or postpone it until the last possible moment." To Georgia State Psychologist Joen Pagan, however, procrastination may be a kind of subliminal way of sorting the important from the trivial. "When I drag my feet, there's usually some reason," says Fagan. "I feel it, but I don't yet know the real reason." 9In fact, there is a long and honorable history of procrastination to suggest that many ideas and decisions may well improve if postponed. It is something of a truism that to put off making a decision is itself a