单选题
For many years, any discussion of reparations to compensate
the descendants of African slaves for 246 years of bondage and another century
of legalized discrimination was dismissed. Many whites and blacks alike scoffed
at the idea, reasoning that slavery is part of the past that would only unleash
new demons if it were resurrected. Opponents contend that the
fledgling reparations movement overlooks many important facts. First, they
assert, reparations usually are paid to direct victims, as was the case when the
US government apologized and paid compensation to Japanese-Americans
interned during World War Ⅱ. Similarly, Holocaust survivors have received
payments from the Germans. In addition, not all blacks were slaves, and an
estimated 3, 000 were slave owners. Also, many immigrants not
only came to the United States after slavery ended, but they also faced
discrimination. Should they be paid reparations, too? Or should they receive
them? And regardless of how much slave labor contributed to the
United States' wealth, opponents contend, blacks benefit from that wealth today.
As a group, Afro-Americans are the best-educated, wealthiest blacks on the
planet. But that attitude is slowly changing. At least 10
cities, including Chicago, Detroit and Washington, have passed resolutions in
the past two years urging federal hearings into the impact of slavery.
Mainstream civil rights groups such as National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People, the National Urban League and the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference regularly raise the issue. The surging
interest in reparations parallels a heightened sensitivity to the horrors of
slavery, in which as many as 6 million Africans perished in the journey to the
Americas alone. There also is growing attention being paid to the huge economic
bounty that slavery created for private companies and the country as a
whole. Earliest this year, Aetna Inc.
apologized for selling insurance policies that
compensated slave owners for financial losses when their slaves died. Last
summer, the Hartford Courant in Connecticut printed a front-page apology for the
profits it made from running ads for the sale of slaves and the capture of
runaways. Next month, a new California law will require insurance companies to
disclose any slave insurance policies they may have issued. The state also is
requiring University of Californian officials to assemble a team of scholars to
research the history of slavery and report how current California businesses
benefited. Proponents of reparations argue that, even for
nearly a century after emancipation in 1865, blacks legally were
still excluded from the opportunities that became the
cornerstones for the white middle-class.
单选题
The reasons put forward by opponents of reparations include all the
following EXCEPT that ______.
A. compensations usually go to direct victims
B. blacks who came after slavery ended should not receive
compensations
C. blacks now are enjoying the wealth they created under slavery
D. some blacks were slave owners instead of slaves
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】本题为细节题。题目问的是“以下四项中不是赔偿反对派提出来的理由”。由第二段的First, they assert, reparations usually are paid to direct victims可知A项是；由第四段的blacks benefit from that wealth today. 可知C项是；由第一段最后的not all blacks were slaves, and an estimated 3, 000 were slave owners.可知D项也是；第三段中对于在奴隶制度废除后来到美国的黑人是否给予补偿所提出的疑问，并没有作出回答，所以B项错误。
单选题
That the reparations movement is winning support in America is shown in
the fact that ______.
A. federal hearings were held to investigate the impact of slavery
B. even mainstream civil rights groups were persuaded
C. growing attention is being paid to the wealth of the blacks
D. there was more public awareness of the frightening experience of
slavery
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】本题为细节题。题目问的是“从下面的……中可以看出补偿运动是正在美国赢得支持”。A项和B项为实行补偿采取的行动，可以排除。由倒数第三段的The surging interest in reparations parallels a heightened sensitivity to the horrors of slavery, in which as many as 6 million Africans perished in the journey to the Americas alone.可知D项正确，其中is winning support为surging interest的同义转换。
单选题
The two private companies that made public apology had ______.
A. compensated slave owners for financial losses
B. sold slaves and captured runaways
C. operated insurance and advertisement businesses
D. depended on slavery for their existence
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】本题为细节题。题目问的是“公开道歉的两家私有公司……”，由two private companies定位到倒数第二段，由Earliest this year, Aetna Inc. apologized for selling insurance policies...和printed a front-page apology for the profits it made from running ads...可知C项正确，它们有保险和广告业务。
单选题
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. US government killed Japanese-Americans during World War Ⅱ.
B. A new Californian law disclosed slave-insurance policies.
C. National Urban League is one of the civil rights groups.
D. Blacks faced no discrimination after liberation in 1865.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】本题为综合理解题。题目问的是“哪项符合原文的说法？”四个选项均有特殊词汇——World War Ⅱ, California，National Urban League以及1865，很容易定位到第二段，倒数第二段、倒数第四段和最后一段。A项中的killed原文未提及；B项中的law还在被要求中；D项的描述与原文直接相悖，所以选择C项。