Section B

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read. 

(A)

Handwriting has existed for about 6,000 years. It’s one of our most important inventions. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to record knowledge or pass ideas from one generation to the next.
Most of us know, but often forget, that handwriting is not natural. It’s not like seeing or talking, which are what we are born with. In early America, only wealthy men and businessmen learned to write. A “good hand” became a sign of class and intelligence as well as morality. Most, meanwhile, signed legal documents with a mere ‘X’ and the presence of a witness. Writing only spread to the masses in the 19th century, after schools began teaching handwriting.

   67   — left-handed students often had their arm tied tightly to their bodies, so they’d learn to write with the “correct” hand. In more modern times, you may remember spending hours learning the correct stroke(笔画), formation and spacing of upper- and lower-case letters.

But today, schools are shifting the focus to coursework in STEM – short for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. With limited hours and an increased pressure to meet higher standards, teachers are emphasizing technology and tablets and less of the written word.

Technology has threatened writing long before every man, woman and child carried a phone. It came with the invention of the typewriter, which standardized written communication, and that same argument will reappear as technology advances.

I don’t know if handwriting will ever die. But today, the growing emphasis on typing is having far-reaching effects. To get a glimpse of the future, just look at the youth. Instead of curly Qs or crazy Ls, kids are using emoticons such as  or  to give a personal touch.
Typing is more democratic, too — it isn’t a complicated skill to master. Keyboards are changing the physical connection between writers and text, and people who can’t write by hand, like the blind, can now use tools to communicate only by touch.

I suppose it’s easy to grieve over the passing of one era(年代) into another. Sure, I’ll miss the writing of letters, and the beautiful and well-practiced signature written with a pen. And while some pathways in our brains will weaken with the decline of handwriting, we’ll develop new ones as we swipe(滑动) and double-click our way into the future.

66. Before the 19th century in America, _____________.

A. only intelligent peoplecould learn handwriting in schools

B. legal documents were signed with the presence of a witness

C. most of the people didn’t even know how to write their names

D. people would spend hours learning how to write everyday

67. Which of the following sentences can best fit in the blank in the third paragraph?

A. Writing was a means of human communication

B. Writing has always been serious business

C. Schools tried differentways to force students to write

D. Young people worked hard to improve handwriting

68. We can learn from the passage that ______________.

A. the invention of cellphones started the decline of handwriting

B. handwriting will disappear because young people write poorly

C. typing makes it possible for blind people to communicate

D. typing is comparatively easy to learn, even for the disabled

69. What does the writer imply in the last paragraph?

A. The era of handwriting is leaving and that of typing is coming.

B. Letters and signatures are gradually disappearing for sure.

C. The decline of writing has drawn much attention from the public.

D. Our brains will weaken with the decline of handwriting.

答案：

66. C

67. B

68. D

69. A

解析：

66. 根据文章第二段Most, meanwhile, signed legal documents with a mere ‘X’ and the presence of a witness.知道：大多数人连自己名字都不会写，在法律文件上签的名就是一个X，还需要一个证人看着，最后一句Writing only spread to the masses in the 19th century, after schools began teaching handwriting.也佐证了这一点，所以C选项正确。

67. 这一段讲了学校规定左撇子学生用右手写字，学习写字的时候要学习笔画、格式。这些都说明写字是一个很严肃的事情，因此选B。

68.根据文章倒数第二段可以知道：键盘改变了写字的人和文本之间的关系，不能用手写字的人同样也可以交流，因此选D。

69. 最后一段讲了作者会怀念写字的日子，不过也会迎接新的用打字来代替写字的方式，因此选择A。

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