单选题 PassageD Simile,torefreshmemories,isafavoriterhetoricaldeviceofwritersthatcomparestwoessentiallyunlikethingsthatnonethelesshavesimilarcharacteristics.Thequarterbackwaslikealocomotive.Suigeneris,theLatinphrasemeaninguniqueoroneofakind,isahelpfulrestraintupontheformer.Somethings,eveniftheysharecertaincharacteristics,shouldn’tbecompared.Suigenerisisthebrakingsystemonarhetoricallocomotive,oratleastitshouldbe.Thatwasametaphor,bytheway,andnotaverygoodone. Weinthenewsbusinesscouldstandtoapplythebrakestoourrunawayimpulseto“similize.”Ipersonallyloveagoodsimile,whichcaninjectlevityintoacolumn.Butlatelywe’veseeninstancesofsimile‐itisthatmighthavesavedreadersandviewerssomeangst,evenifwritersandpunditswereleftwithlesstosay.(Let’sgolightontheairhorns,please.) Inthepastseveraldays,we’veheardnewspeopleandotherscompareObamacaretoHurricaneKatrinaandIraq.SarahPalincomparedournationaldebttoslavery.Countlesstimesinrecentyearswe’veseen“Nazi”appliedtopeoplewithwhosepoliciesorpoliticswedisagree,nonesofrequentlyasGeorgeW.Bush,thoughPresidentObama,too,hashadafewturns. Alloftheaboveareclearlysuigenerisandshouldberetiredfromanyfuturesimilesunlesstheyarereferringtotrulylikethings,notjustasingleperson’simpressionoftheworldwhilemusingoncurrentevents.KatrinaislikeSandybecausetheywerebothnaturaldisasters,thoughsignificantlymorepeoplediedinKatrinathaninSandy.IraqissuigenerisandnothinglikeVietnam,towhichitwassometimescompared. NazisandtheHolocaustshouldn’tbecomparedtoanythingelse.Thesystematic,state‐sponsoredexterminationof6millionJews,aswellasothers,issufficientlyhorrifictostandalone.Pro‐liferswhosometimescharacterizeabortionasaHolocaustareprobablynothelpingthecauseofrevelation. Finally,slaverymeritsitsownplaceinAmerica’smemory.Tocompareittoanythingelse,especiallysomethingasmundaneasdebt,iswrongonitsface.IndenturedservitudetoChinamighthavebeenabetterchoiceforPalin,whoqualifiedherremarkwith,“Thisisn’tracist,but….”Note:Wheneveryoustartasentencewith“Thisisn’tracist,but...,”youprobablyshouldn’tfinishit. InPalin’sdefense,sheobviouslymeantnooffense,andtheattacksinresponsehavebeensoviciousthattheattacksthemselvesarebeyondcomparison.OneinparticularwassoawfulthatIwon’trepeatit.JustasPalindidn’tdeservesuchanonslaught,peoplereadingthiscolumningoodfaithdon’tdeservetohavesuchwretchedthoughtsimposedontheirpsyches. Theserecentexamplesofsimilesgoneawryraisetwoquestions:Whatistheimpulsethatdrivesourneedtomakesuchcomparisons?Andwhydowereactsoviscerallywhenwedo? Theimpulseisusuallytoelucidate,i.e.,thisisasbadasthat.Butitisalsopartlylazy.DowereallyhavesolittleimaginationthatallwecandoissummonKatrinaeverytimeanadministrationfailstomeetourexpectations?OrHitlertodenoteourimpressionofbad?Surelyitisarhetoricalcrimetoturnsomeonesoevilintoacliche. Fromapurelypoliticalperspective,theimpulsemaybedrivenbythedesiretoremindpeopleofthepasttransgressionsofpoliticalfoes.Thus,whencommentatorssayObamacareislikeKatrina,themindflitsfromBarackObamatoGeorgeW.Bushandonlythedifferences,ratherthanthesinglesimilarityofadministrativeincompetence,register:PeoplediedinKatrinaandPresidentObamaonlywantstohelppeople.Throughsubliminaljujitsu,therealcomparisonlandsinthecommunitypsyche. Conversely,asSalonpoliticalwriterBrianBeutlersuggestedduringarecentconversation,evenRepublicansmayseebenefitstothiscomparisoninthatitneutralizestheongoing,negativeliabilityofKatrinafortheGOP.Butthenthecyclecontinuesintoabsurdity.IfObamacarecollapsesandRepublicanspresentAmericanswithRyancare,welikelycanexpectDemocratstocharacterizeeveryglitchastheGOP’sKatrinaII. Tothemostimportantpoint,comparingahorrifictragedyoratrocitytoanyotherthingelsetrivializesanddiminishesit.Bytryingtocapture,quantifyandcategorizeothers’suffering,wetrespassonthesacred. Somethingsarelikenothingelse—andshouldbelefttorestinpeace.

单选题 Accordingtothearticle,whichofthefollowingcomparisonsisreasonable?

单选题 Howdoyouunderstandtheword“Obamacare”inthisarticle?

单选题 Accordingtotheauthor,whichofthefollowingtermdoesnotbelongtosuigeneris?

单选题 Whatisthemainargumentorthegistofthisarticle?A.

单选题 Whichofthefollowingstatementsabout“suigeneris”iscorrect?

单选题 Accordingtothetext,whatisthereasonthatsomepeoplemakesomecomparisonswhichseemtobeinappropriatefortheauthor?