00专8答案分析和总结.docx

2000年英语专业八级考试全真试卷答案部分

听力原文

PARTⅠLISTENINGCOMPREHENSIONSECTIONATALK

TheearliestlibrariesexistedthousandsofyearsagoinChinaandEgyptwherecollectionsofrecordsontabletsofbakedclaywerekeptintemplesandroyalpalaces.Inthewesternworld,librarieswerefirstestablishedisAncientGreece.Forexample,Aristotleoncehadaresearchlibraryinthe3rdcenturyB.C

. ThefirstlibraryintheUnitesStateswasaprivatelibrary,whichcouldonly

beusedbyauthorizedreaders.In1633,JohnHarvardgavemoneyandmorethan300bookstoanewly-establishedcollegeinMassachusetts.Inreturnforhisgenerosity,thelegislaturevotedtheschoolbenamedHarvardCollege.Thelibrariantheresetrulesforthenewlibrary.Onlycollegestudentsandfacultymemberscouldusethebooks.Nobookcouldbelentformorethanonemonth.

TheearliestpubliclibrarywasestablishedinPhiladelphiain1731.Although

thislibrarywasopentoeveryone,allreadershadtopayamembershiporsubscriptionfeeinordertoborrowbooks.Veryfewsubscriptionlibrariesexisttoday. Somebookandstationarystoresmaintainsmallrentallibraries,whereanyonemayborrowbooksforadailycharge.Thefirsttrulyfreepubliclibrarythatcirculatedbooks

toeveryoneatnocostwasstartedatasmallNewEnglandtownin1833.Today,therearemorethan7,000freepubliclibrariesthroughouttheUS.Theycontainabout160millionbookswhichwerecirculatedtoover52millionreaders.

Historically,themajorpurposeoffreepubliclibrarieswaseducational.Theywereexpectedtoprovideadultswiththeopportunitytocontinuetheireducationaftertheyleftschool.Sothefunctionofpubliclibrarywasoncedescribedas“lessreservoirthanafountain”.Inotherwords,emphasiswastobeplacedonwidecirculationratherthanoncollectingandstoringbooks.Overtheyearspubliclibraryserviceshavegreatlyexpanded.Inadditiontotheircontinuingan