北京外國語大學2012年基礎英語考試試題

PartⅠGRAMMAR(30Points)

A.Correct Errors

The passage contains ten errors.Each indicated line contains amaximum of one error.

In each case,only ONE word is involved.You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way:

For awrong word,underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank provided at the end of the line.

For amissing word,mark the position of the missing word with a^and write the word which you believe is missing in the blank at the end of the line.

For an unnecessary word,cross the unnecessary word with aslash/and put the word in the blank at the end of the line.

People and organizations in relationships play certain roles.For example,

business organizations in India may play the role of the Morally Superior

in negotiations about the United Stales and Japan.They are an old and1.____

venerable culture with well-established regulations for social behavior

and deep-rooted expectations for business behavior.They have not

been responsible for atrocities or moral behavior,in their own view.2.____

They cast both the United States and Japan the role of the Morally3.____

Inferior.This means they persuade with great moral authority,not on the

basis of facts but on the basis of what is morally right.This gives in them4.____

higher status than their Japanese or United States counterparts,and

status has priority in India.Here is for an example from recent history.5.____

In1984,a pesticide manufacturing company in the city of Bhopal,India

experienced adisastrous leak of toxic gas.Thousands died,with6.____

thousands more suffered terrible injuries.The episode was viewed as

morally wrong by the Indians felt the company had failed to behave7.____

responsively.The company was ajoint venture.50.9%owned by Union8._____

Carbide,a United States chemical company,and49.1%owned by

Indian investors and the government.Some Indians called on the9.2____

extradition of the American president of Union Carbide at the time.

The morally outraged victims who survived continue more than20

years later to charge the company about not releasing information about10.____

the gas and about possible treatment,and to ask for more compensation.

PartⅡREADING COMPREHENSION(80points)

A.Multiple Choice

Please read the following passages and choose A,B,C or Dto best complete the statements or best answer the questions in front of them.

Passage1

Staffing in aForeign Subsidiary

If you travel to another country,you will be struck at how the whole feel of the place is different.You will therefore not be surprised to learn that in general,the nature of institutions,the structure of commerce and work organization and the behavior of people in the workplace differ from country to country.These national differences form acrucial part of our understanding of the International Human Resource Management(IHRM).

The role of Human Resource(HR)manager of aforeign subsidiary is to develop HR practices that are(1)acceptable within the local culture and(2)acceptable to management at the headquarters of the multi-national corporation(MNC).However,the balancing of these two requirements is adifficult task.Whether subsidiary HR managers are home host,or third country nationals,they bring their own“cultural baggage”,which may affect their ability to accommodate cultural differences in the host work force.Employees in asubsidiary may consist of amixture of home,host,and third country nationals—

all with their own distinct cultural backgrounds and preferences.The subsidiary’s HR manager must help all employees adapt to the HR practices operating in the subsidiary,even though these practices may be derived from the cultures very different from their own.The following text will focus on staffing in describing the difficulties faced by subsidiary HR managers in developing an effective HR system.

A subsidiary HK manager ought to use ahiring process that fits the local labor market.For example,an MNC may need the services of alocal personnel selection agency to identify the sources of skilled employees.Local employment laws must be adhered to,and premium salaries may have to be offered to lure highly qualified individuals away from local firms.In Japan,the collective nature of Japanese society traditionally has made it difficult for foreign companies to hire qualified Japanese employees.These individuals tend to“stay in the family”and work for Japanese,not foreign,employers.Although during the downturn in the Japanese economy during the early1990s this attitude became less prevalent,it still remains aproblem.

In some countries,hiring may require using agovernment-controlled labor bureau.This may be particularly prevalent in hierarchical cultures with high power distance.In Vietnam,for example,local labor bureaus are heavily involved in the hiring process.Sometimes the local bureaus may supply aforeign subsidiary with employees who are not adequately skilled for the job,and it may be difficult for the subsidiary to refuse employment.Important staffing issues may have to be approved by very high government officials.

The development of aselection system may be complicated by the fact that selection tests used in the home country of the MNC may be culturally biased and inappropriate elsewhere.For example,many personality tests were developed using Western samples.The personality profiles provided by such tests,and certainly their normative data,would be meaningless in trying to understand the behavior of Japanese or Thai job applicants.Assertive individuals who take initiative and stand out from the crowd may appear well adjusted according to the norms of Western personality tests.However,a Japanese job applicant with asimilar score might be adisaster if hired to work in the MNC’s subsidiary in Tokyo because“standing out”as an individual is inconsistent with the more collectivist Japanese culture.Even if the concepts measured by the tests are applicable,there are difficulties in getting many tests adequately translated into the host country language.Issues of race,age and sex discrimination can cause considerable difficulties for the subsidiary HR manager.In Singapore,a fairly hierarchical and masculine culture,it is acceptable and legal to place job advertisements that specifically state the race,age range,and sex of employees being sought.This would blatantly violate American EEO laws.An American working as HR manager in aSingapore subsidiary could experience aconsiderable moral dilemma,following practices that are in line with local laws and culture but conflict with home country laws and home country organizational culture.

There also can be unexpected disadvantages associated with hiring particular types of local employees.For example,in amulticultural society,the use of an employee from one ethnic group in amanagerial position may not be acceptable to members of other ethnic groups.In India,die caste system,which historically has played aprominent role in Indian society,could make it inappropriate to hire someone from alower caste to supervise employees of ahigher caste.In some countries(Japan,for example),it may be inappropriate to hire ayounger person for ajob that has supervisory responsibilities over older employees.

1.Balancing the dual role of asubsidiary company’s HR manager is difficult because____

A.local employees are reluctant to accept the subsidiary’s corporate culture

B.the HR manager does not understand the host country’s customs

C.employees from different cultures need to accept the subsidiary HR practices

D.important staffing issues may have to be approved by local governments

2.In Japan,people tend to“stay in the family”,which means____

A.they would work at home,away from the office

B.they prefer to work for aJapanese company

C.they would choose to work for afamily business

D.they have to care for family due to economic downturn

3.According to the passage,job advertisements specifying race,age range,and sex of prospective employees are legal in____

A.Singapore

B.Japan

C.India

D.Thailand

4.The selection tests used in an American MNC may be inappropriate for hiring employees in Tokyo because____

A.the Japanese job applicants tend to associate with themselves

B.Japan has developed its own HR management practices

C.the behavior of Japanese job applicants is hard to understand

D.the American personality profiles do not apply in Japanese recruitment

5.What is the central idea of this passage?

A.Understanding two cultures is obligatory for asubsidiary’s HR management.

B.Cultural differences pose many difficulties to asubsidiary’s hiring process.

C.Cultural practices have immense influence on an MNCs’HR activities.

D.A subsidiary’s hiring process ought to fit the local labor market.

Passage2

Chinese College Students Flocking to US Campuses

Bo Sun knew next to nothing about football—or the state of Nebraska,for that matter—until he started looking for US colleges and universities on the Internet.Now,as one of agrowing number of Chinese students at the state’s flagship university,he catches every game he can.

President Obama announced plans last month to“dramatically expand”to100,000the number of US students who study in China over the next four years,calling such exchanges“a clear commitment to build ties among our people in the steady pursuit of cooperation that will serve our nations,and the world.”But Sun,who grew up in China’s Jiangxi province,is part of asurge already taking place in the other direction.In2008alone,98,510Chinese graduate and undergraduate students poured into US colleges and universities,lured by China’s emphasis on academic achievement and the prestige of US higher education.

China is second only to India when graduate students and undergrads are counted.But undergraduates such as Sun are the newer phenomenon.Nationally,an11%growth in undergrad enrollments in2008was driven largely by a60%increase from China,a report by the Institute of International Education(IIE)says.Graduate student enrollments were up2%.

US colleges and universities have long welcomed students from China,where the higher education system can’t meet the demand.Two years ago,a record10million students throughout China took the national college entrance test,competing for5.7million university slots.Because foreign undergraduates typically aren’t eligible for US federal aid,colleges here can provide limited financial help.Now,thanks to China’s booming economy in recent years,more Chinese families can afford to pay.

The increase also reflects a“strong dialogue”between the two countries,says US State Department deputy assistant secretary Alina Romanowsky.She says the recent growth can’t be pinned to specific changes in visa polity,but some US college officials say they detect afriendlier attitude among US embassies and consulates,which review visa applications.One key question for any country is whether visa-seeking students can prove they will return to their home country upon graduating from aUS college.“Because the Chinese economy has improved,students feel there are opportunities there waiting for them.”says Gretchen Olson,director of international programs at Drake University in Des Moines,where there are28undergraduates from China this fall,up from one in2003.

In turn,the United States has greatly benefited from hosting foreign students.They contributed nearly$18billion last year in tuition and living expenses to the US economy,including about$89million in Nebraska,according to aNovember report from the Institute of International Education.Though it’s costly for colleges to recruit abroad,that population“has the potential to be asignificant source of revenue.”says University of Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman.

Nearly half(47%)of Chinese undergraduates,and29%of all foreign undergraduates,receive some discounts on their tuition based on their academic record.But most international students,including Sun,pay the entire non-resident rate for tuition and fees—about$18,000this year.That’s money the school otherwise might not have seen,because Nebraska’s high-school-age population is declining.

A legislative task force in2003encouraged its public institutions to“more actively recruit non-Nebraska high school graduates”—but with acaveat:They can’t“diminish the state’s priority of providing appropriate need-based aid to Nebraska’s high school graduates”.Nebraska,which admits any resident or non-resident who meets basic academic requirements,is largely spared the criticism sometimes aimed at more selective institutions.

Among concerns voiced by USA TODAY readers in response to astory on die topic was whether American students were being denied entrance to more elite universities because slots were being set aside for students overseas.But Paul Thibaut,admissions dean at Carleton College in Northfield,Minn.,which admits about27%of applicants,says that argument misunderstands one of US higher education’s greatest strengths.Although some American students may be displaced by those students,Thibaut says it’s true“only if you’re looking at asingle institution.It isn’t true when you look across the entire system of higher education and all the options.There’s no one being denied agood college education.”Moreover,it works both ways,he says.Carleton,which enrolled18Chinese freshmen this year,admitted no more than10%of the300Chinese who applied.

6.Which of the following is areason for the surge of Chinese students into US campuses?

A.China’s inability to meet students’education demand.

B.Obama’s plan to expand education exchange.

C.China’s determination to raise its education level.

D.US offer of financial aid to foreign students.

7.According to US State Department official Romanowsky,the sharp increase of Chinese students in US is areflection of____

A.major changes in US visa policy

B.enhanced opportunities in China

C.closer ties between the US and China

D.friendlier attitude of US towards Chinese

8.The author uses Bo Sun’s case to show the surge of Chinese students in the category of____

A.graduate students

B.science students

C.undergraduate students

D.government-supported students

9.By the word“caveat”(Paragraph8),the author means____

A.agreement

B.announcement

C.court order

D.warning

10.The passage suggests that USA TODAY readers’concern about Chinese students pouring into the US is caused by____

A.ignorance

B.hostility

C.anxiety

D.misunderstanding

B.True or False

Read the following passage carefully and then decide whether the statements which follow are true(T)or false(F).

Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer?

There are safety-warning labels on cigarettes and alcohol.Now some groups are advocating that similar cautions be printed on cell phones.Recently,a bill in the Maine state senate proposed alabel warning users,especially children and pregnant women,of the risks of brain cancer from electromagnetic radiation emanating from the device.But the Maine legislature voted down the bill in March,stating that the scientific evidence does not indicate apublic health risk.

Yet,the debate rages on.Can cell phones really cause cancer?Supporters of the Maine legislation argued that uncertainty about the long-term effects of cell phone radiation warranted public safety notices.They also pointed to ahandful of European studies that linked brain and auditory nerve tumors with using cell phones for more than10years and at younger ages.

“I think my short answer is that the evidence isn’t100percent,but there’s astrong indication that,yes,cell phone use does cause cancer(over along period of time),”said David Carpenter,director of the Institute for Health and Environment at the University of Albany,and an advocate for the Maine bill on cell phone warnings.

Carpenter points to a2007meta-analysis that associated ipsilateral auditory nerve tumors(acoustic neuromas)with people who had used cell phones for at least10years,as well as a2009Swedish study that found aheightened risk for brain tumors among people who had used cell phones for at least10years,especially for those under20years old.

Not surprisingly,cell phone industry insiders disagree.“The peer-reviewed scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices,within the(radiation)limits established by the FCC,do not pose apublic health risk or cause any adverse health effects,”said John Walls,vice president of public affairs for CTIA—The Wireless Association,an international trade group that represents the wireless telecom industry.

For instance,2001Danish study and2006follow-up found no relationship between cancer risk and long-term cell phone use among more than400,000users.In addition,a statistical review from the National Institutes of Cancer revealed no rise in cancer incidence rates from1975to2005in relation to the rise in cell phone usage.

Joshua Muscat,a public health science professor at Pennsylvania State University who has studied the cancer-causing potential of cell phone radiation,also questions the connection.“There is no known mechanism by which radio frequency fields generated by cell phones can cause cancer because cell phone radiation is non-ionizing.”Muscat said.

Nevertheless,when you press acell phone against your car while it’s in use,head and brain tissues can absorb that vibrating,low-frequency radiation and heat.Because of that radiation effect,the Federal Communications Commission(FCC)sets specific absorption rates(SARs)that dictate the maximum amount of radiation cell phones and mobile devices can give off.

“The power output from these phones is extremely low,”Muscat told Discovery News.However,David Carpenter counters that the SARs don’t take into account the potential long-term damage of close-range exposure to heat-inducing radiation,especially in children.“Those(FCC)levels are set by engineers and physicists,and those aren’t the people who should be setting health-based standards.”he said.

Carpenter thinks that the results from alarge,13-country study called Interphone,which consists of aseries of16case-controlled studies conducted between2000and2005,could finally settle the debate.Each of the Interphone studies recruited at least100people who had developed brain cancer or certain types of tumors,along with ahealthy control group.But it’s been hampered by methodological shortcomings.In many cases,the group was asked to describe their cell phone habits,which critics contend led to recall bias.So far,it still hasn’t rendered afinal verdict.

For now,the National Cancer Institute,American Cancer Society,US Food and Drug Administration,among other leading health agencies and organizations,aren’t ringing the alarm bells.For one thing,scientists have yet to pinpoint how the low-frequency cell phone radiation could cause cancer.

“Cell phone radiation’s effect in the body appears to be insufficient to produce the genetic damage typically associated with developing cancer,”said Robert N.Hoover,director of epidemiology for the National Cancer Institute,in an official statement to Congress.“To date,no alternative mechanism about how this exposure might result in cancer has been vetted adequately.”

Until scientists can unmask that“mechanism”,Carpenter urges consumers to play it safe and text message or hold cell phones away from their ears to limit radiation exposure.Even Muscat from Penn State leaves aspace—albeit anarrow one—for caution.“It is alegitimate concern in the sense that there may be some unknown,undiscovered mechanism that could be promoting the development of cancer,”Muscat said,“This seems unlikely,but if one looks at other scientific disciplines such as cosmology or particle physics,there are often paradigm shifts that occur with new discoveries.”

11.In Maine safety-warning labels are not printed on cell phones to caution the risks of brain cancer from cell phone radiation.

12.It is believed that using cell phones for calls is more risky than using them for text messaging.

13.The scientific evidence proves that there is alink between long-term use of cell phones and increased risk for brain tumors.

14.Cell phone use may be hazardous because the amount of radiation the device gives off can produce the genetic damage typically associated with developing cancer.

15.Cell phone radiation is non-ionizing and therefore exposure can strip electrons from atoms and molecules and directly damage cellular DNA,like X-rays can.

C.Gap Filling

Please choose from the list after the passage the best sentences to fill in the gaps in the text.There are more sentences than gaps.

No one perhaps has ever felt passionately towards alead pencil.But there are circumstances in which it can become supremely desirable to possess one;moments when we are set upon having an object,an excuse for walking half across London between tea and dinner.As the foxhunter hunts in order to preserve the breed of foxes and the golfer plays in order that open spaces may be preserved from the builders,so when the desire comes upon us to go street rambling the pencil does for apretext and getting up we say:“Really Imust buy apencil,”16____

The hour should be the evening and die season winter,for in winter the champagne brightness of the air and the sociability of the streets are grateful.We are not then taunted as in the summer by the longing for shade and solitude and sweet airs from the hayfields.The evening hour,too,gives us the irresponsibility which darkness and lamplight bestow.We are no longer quite ourselves.As we step out of the house on afine evening between four and six,we shed the self our friends know us by and become part of that vast republican army of anonymous trampers,whose society is so agreeable after the solitude of one’s own room.17____

That bowl on the mantelpiece,for instance,was bought at Mantua on awindy day.We were leaving the shop when the sinister old woman plucked at our skirts and said she would find herself starving one of these days,but,“Take it!”she cried,18____So,guiltily,but suspecting nevertheless how badly we had been fleeced,we carried it back to the little hotel where,in the middle of the night,the innkeeper quarreled so violently with his wife that we all leant out into the courtyard to look,and saw the vines laced about among the pillars and the stars white in the sky.19____There,too,was the melancholy Englishman,who rose among the coffee cups and the little iron tables and revealed the secrets of his soul—as travelers do.All this-Italy,the windy morning,the vines laced about the pillars,the Englishman and the secrets of his soul—rise up in acloud from the china bowl on the mantelpiece.And there,as our eyes fall to the floor,is that brown stain on the carpet.Mr.Lloyd George made that.“The man’s adevil!”said Mr.Cummings,putting the kettle down with which he was about to till the teapot so that it burnt abrown ring on the carpet.

But when the door shuts on us,all that vanishes.20____How beautiful astreet is in winter!It is at once revealed and obscured.Here vaguely one can trace symmetrical straight avenues of doors and windows;here under the lamps are floating islands of pale light through which pass quickly bright men and women,who,for all their poverty and shabbiness,wear acertain look of unreality,an air of triumph,as if they had given life the slip,so that life,deceived of her prey,blunders on without them.But,after all,we are only gliding smoothly on the surface.The eye is not aminer,not adiver,not aseeker after buried treasure.It floats us smoothly down astream;resting,pausing,the brain sleeps perhaps as it looks.

A.How beautiful aLondon street is then,with its islands of light,and its long groves of darkness,and on one side of it perhaps some tree-sprinkled,grass-grown space where night is folding herself to sleep naturally

B.and thrust the blue and white china bowl into our hands as if she never wanted to be reminded of her quixotic generosity

C.For there we sit surrounded by objects which perpetually express the oddity of our own temperaments and enforce the memories of our own experience

D.as if under cover of this excuse we could indulge safely in the greatest pleasure of town life in winter-rambling the streets of London.

E.The shell-like covering which our souls have excreted to house themselves,to make for themselves ashape distinct from others,is broken,and there is left of all these wrinkles and roughnesses acentral oyster of perceptiveness,an enormous eye.

F.The moment was stabilized,stamped like acoin indelibly among amillion that slipped by imperceptibly.

PartⅢTRANSLATION(40points)

A.Please read the following passage and translate it into Chinese.

We sometimes fall in with persons who have seen much of the world,and of the men who,in their day,have played aconspicuous part in it,but who generalize nothing,and have no observation,in the true sense of the word.They abound in information in detail,curious and entertaining,about men and things,and,having lived under the influence of no very clear or settled principles,religious or political,they speak of every one and everything,only as so many phenomena,which are complete in themselves,and lead to nothing,not discussing any truth,or instructing the hearer,but simply talking.No one would say that these persons,well informed as they are,had attained to any great culture or intellect or to philosophy.

B.Please read the following passage and translate it into English.

書本究竟能夠帶給我們什么，幾乎沒有人探究過這個問題。在我們讀書的時候，最常見的情況是，我們思想不明確，目標不一致。逢小說便要求其真實，逢詩歌又指望它虛幻。認為傳記必會吹捧，而史書一定附會我們自己的偏見。如果我們在讀書時能夠摒棄這些成見，那就會是閱讀的良好起點。不要對作者發號施令，而應該試著去設身處地設想，與他合作，同他共謀。如果你一開始便卻步矜持，有所保留，動輒挑剔，那么書中可能蘊含的精義，便無法充分領悟了。而如果敞開心胸，虛懷若谷，透過開篇迂回曲折的字里行間，領悟到那細膩微妙、幾乎難以察覺到的跡象與暗示，那一個與眾不同的人便呈現在我們眼前了。

參考答案

PartⅠGRAMMAR(30Points)

A.Correct Errors

1.about→with。固定結構：in negotiations with sb.

2.moral→immoral。句意是“在這些組織看來，他們對暴行或者不道德行為不負責任”。

3.^the role→in。固定結構：cast sb.in the role of sth.

4.in→/。give是及物動詞，give in表示“投降”。

5.for→/。Here is an example表示“這里舉一個例子”。

6.with→and。Thousands died和thousands more suffered terrible injuries是兩個完整句子，要用連詞and連接。

7.the Indians^→who。這里是the Indians的定語從句，先行詞在定語從句中作主語，不可省。

8.responsively→responsibly。responsively表示“易感應地”；responsibly“負責地”。

9.on→for。call on“拜訪”，固定結構：call on sb.to do sth.；call for“要求”，用法：call for sth.

10.第一個about→with。charge sb.with sth.“控告某人某事”。

PartⅡREADING COMPREHENSION(80points)

A.Multiple Choice

Passage I

1.C.由題干可以定位到第二段第二句。分公司員工的文化背景和喜好大相徑庭，所以無論人力經理有什么樣的“文化包袱”，都要幫助雇員來適應公司的習慣。

2.B.由題干可以定位到第三段第五句。日本人更愿意受雇于本國公司。

3.A.由題干可以定位到第五段倒數第三句。在新加坡，招聘廣告對雇員的種族、年齡、性別做出明確要求，這是可行并且合法的做法。

4.D.由題干可以定位到第五段第三句。作者舉例指出選拔測試中對分公司所使用的若是西方樣本，那么對于了解日本和泰國的應聘者就不適合。

5.B.作者重點指出分公司在人員招聘方面面臨的巨大困難。包括適應所在國勞動力市場，政府介入，選拔測試的適用性和分等級國家的傳統習慣。

Passage2

6.A.由題干可以定位到第四段第一句。美國大學一直很受中國學生歡迎，因為中國高等教育不能滿足學生的需求。

7.C.由題干可以定位到第五段首句。她認為中國留學人數的增加反映了兩國對話交流加強。

8.C.由題干可以定位到第三段前兩句。中國在美留學總人數僅次于印度，但是像孫博這樣的本科生留學是最新現象。

9.D.由題干可以定位到第七段和第八段。內布拉斯加州高中適齡人口下降，公辦學校加大招收非內布拉斯加州生源的高中生，也給出警告。

10.D.由題干可以定位到第九段第一句。作者指出就單個學校而言，留學生確實代替了本國學生，但從整個教育系統來看，美國學生仍有有很多機會和選擇。

B.True or False

11.T.由題干可以定位到第一段第三句。

12.T.由題干可以定位到最后一段首句。

13.F.由題干可以定位到第六段第一句。

14.F.由題干可以定位到第二段首句。

15.F.由題干可以定位到第七段第二句。

C.Gap Filling

16.D.由題干可以定位到文章開頭。當我們有漫步街頭的欲望時，就以買鉛筆為借口出去。

17.C.上文描述了冬日傍晚漫步街頭的心境，不受責任羈絆，這里應該繼續描述漫步時的所思所想。

18.B.由題干可以定位第三段。作者在這段開始追憶往昔。

19.F.上文提到當他們回到小旅館聽到店主與妻子的吵架，便跑去旁觀，下文是作者對此時此景的感受：時光在這一刻靜止。

20.E.作者在本段回到漫步街頭的現實。E項中broken和left與文中的vanish相對，表示 “用來保護自我心靈的那一層分泌物沒有了，我們特有的形式也不復存在”。

PartⅢTRANSLATION(40points)

A.Please read the following passage and translate it into Chinese.

我們有時會邂逅一些涉世很深的人，以及一些曾經見過許多在其全盛年代便功業顯赫的人，但是這些人卻不善于概括推理，也毫無觀察力。這些人對人、事掌有豐富詳盡的資料，新奇有趣，引人入勝；但是，由于在宗教上或政治上一向缺乏明確或固定原則的指引，所以當他們談說起某人某事時，也不過把這一切當作若干現象說說而已；這些談說本身是完整的，但不能說明什么問題；他們不是在討論什么問題，傳授什么真理，或考慮如何對聽者有所教益，而只是談談而已。這些人雖說見聞廣博，卻很難說在知識上有什么素養，或哲學上有什么境界。

B.Please read the following passage and translate it into English.

Yet few people ask from books what books can give us.Most commonly we come to books with blurred and divided minds,asking of fiction that it shall be true,of poetry that it shall be false,of biography that it shall be flattering,of history that it shall enforce our own prejudices.If we could banish all such preconceptions when we read,that would he an admirable beginning.Do not dictate to your author;try to become him.Be his fellow-worker and accomplice.If you hang back,and reserve and criticize at first,you are preventing yourself from getting the fullest possible value from what you read.But if you open your mind as widely as possible,then signs and hints of almost imperceptible fineness,from the twist and turn of the beginning sentences,will bring you into the presence of ahuman being unlike any other.