单选题 Nelson Mandela, the remarkable South African who passed away on Thursday at 95, has made a great contribution to the world, especially to his motherland. Mandela led his people to freedom, ending the apartheid rule of South Africa"s brutal white-minority regime. But neither of those men, nor the others mentioned here, was put to such an extraordinary personal test.
All you need to know to grasp the uniqueness of Mandela is this: he spent 27 years in prison, most of them in solitary confinement pounding rocks at the notorious Robben Island prison. He was given no hope and allowed little contact with the outside world. Yet instead of yielding to his plight—or betraying his cause by speaking a few words that could have set him free—he persevered, leading in absentia against all odds and emerging victories.
At his moment of triumph, with the presidency of South Africa in his hands, he sought not revenge for all that had been done to him but racial peace for his people, black or white, which incredibly he achieved. Such is the power of history"s few truly great leaders and the examples they set. If Mandela could suffer as he did without seeking vengeance, then how could others do any less? And how could the nation"s fearful and suspicious white minority turn away the olive branch?
Whether Mandela"s legacy can endure remains an open question. Unlike the United States at its founding, South Africa has not been blessed with a succession of great leaders. Since Mandela"s retirement in 1999, the presidency has been held by a succession of lackluster men, and so the deep problems left behind by apartheid have festered. Crime and illiteracy are rampant, as is corruption. The unemployment rate is 25%, and far worse among the young. Life expectancy, barely over 50 years, is among the world"s lowest.
As long as Mandela survived, even with his capacity ravaged by his age and the harshness of his life, the simmering South African cauldron could not bubble over. No one dared upset their beloved Madiba.
Perhaps that cannot last. What South Africa needs, like so many other strife-torn nations, is another Mandela. But such leaders are the rarest of things. But they are remembered, admired to the extent that they are emulated, their impact lives on. No one will soon forget Nelson Mandela, if not the greatest man of the 20th century, certainly the most extraordinary.

单选题 Based on the first 2 paragraphs, which of the following is true?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。由第二段第三句“Yet instead of yielding to his plight...”可知：曼德拉在苦难面前并没有屈服，这与A项内容不符。由第一段第一句“Nelson Mandela, the remarkable South African who passed away on Thursday at 95...”以及第二段第一句“...he spent 27 years in prison...”可知：曼德拉活了95岁，在罗本岛上呆了27年，他坐牢的时间并没有达到生命的三分之一，这与B项内容不符。由第一段第二句“...ending the apartheid rule of South Africa"s brutal white-minority regime.”可知：曼德拉结束了南非的种族隔离制度，这与C项内容不符。由第三段第一句话“...he sought not revenge for all that had been done to him but racial peace for his people, black and white, which incredibly he achieved.”可知：曼德拉并没有报复那些曾经迫害过他的人，这与D项内容相符。所以本题正确答案是D。

单选题 Which of the following can NOT be classified as the uniqueness of Mandela?

单选题 After he took office, ______.

单选题 What did NOT happen to South Africa after Mandela"s retirement?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。由第四段第三句“Since Mandela"s retirement in 1999, the presidency has been held by a succession of lackluster men...”可知：曼德拉退休之后，接替他的是一群平庸之辈，这与A项内容相符。由第四段第四句“Crime and illiteracy are rampant，as is corruption.”可知：后曼德拉时代南非社会存在一系列问题，这与B项内容相符。由第四段最后一句“Life expectancy, barely over 50 years, is among the world"s lowest.”可知：南非人的平均寿命刚刚超过50岁，这与D项内容相符。由第四段第五句“The unemployment rate is 25%, and far worse among the young.”可知：南非的失业率高达25%，而年轻人的就业率更糟糕，所以年轻人的就业率达不到75%，这与C项内容不符，所以本题正确答案是C。