单选题 In some countries where racial prejudice is acute, violence has so come to be taken for granted as a means of solving differences, that it is not even questioned. There are countries where the white man imposes his rule by brute force; there are countries where the black man protests by setting fire to cities and by looting and pillaging. Important people on both sides, who would in other respects appear to be reasonable men, get up and calmly argue in favor of violence--as if it were a legitimate solution, like any other. What is really frightening, what really fills you with despair, is the realization that when it comes to the crunch, we have made no actual progress at all. We may wear collars and ties instead of war-paint, but our instinct remain basically unchanged. The whole of the recorded history of the human race, that tedious documentation of violence, has taught us absolutely nothing. We have still not learnt that violence never solves a problem but makes it more acute. The sheer horror, the bloodshed, the suffering means nothing. No solution ever comes to light the morning after when we dismally contemplate the smoking ruins and wonder what hit us.
The truly reasonable men who know where the solutions lie are finding it harder and harder to get a hearing. They are despised, mistrusted and even persecuted by their own kind because they advocate such apparently outrageous things as law enforcement. If half the energy that goes into violent acts were put to good use, if our efforts were directed at cleaning up the slums and ghettos, at improving living-standards and providing education and employment for all, we would have gone a long way to arriving at a solution. Our strength is sapped by having to mop up the mess that violence leaves in its wake. In a well-directed effort, it would not be impossible to fulfill the ideals of a stable social program. The benefits that can be derived from constructive solutions are everywhere apparent in the world around us. Genuine and lasting solutions are always possible, providing we work within the framework of the law.
Before we can even begin to contemplate peaceful co-existence between the races, we must appreciate each other's problems. And to do this, we must learn about them: it is a simple exercise in communication, in exchanging information. "Talk, talk, talk," the advocates of violence say, "all you ever do is talk, and we are none the wiser." It's rather like the story of the famous barrister who painstakingly explained his case to the judge. After listening to a lengthy argument the judge complained that after all this talk, he was none the wiser. "Possibly, my Lord," the barrister replied, "none the wiser, but surely far better informed." Knowledge is the necessary prerequisite to wisdom: the knowledge that violence creates the evils it pretends to solve.
单选题 What is the best title for this passage?
  • A. Advocating Violence.
  • B. Violence Can Do Nothing to Diminish Race Prejudice.
  • C. Important People on Both Sides See Violence As a Legitimate Solution.
  • D. The Instincts of Human Race Are Thirsty for Violence.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】这是一道主旨题。文章第一段指出:在一些种族歧视严重的国家,暴力是想当然的一种解决分歧的方法,甚至是毋庸置疑的方法;在有些国家,白人利用暴力实行镇压统治;而有的国家,黑人通过放火、抢掠等进行反抗;就连双方表现得较为理智的大人物似乎也认为暴力是一种合法的解决问题的方案;但是,暴力不但永远解决不了问题,反而会使问题变得更加严重。第二段指出:那些知道解决方法的真正理智的人们却越来越难以得到发言的机会,因为他们倡导诸如依法治理明显出格的事情等,所以他们遭到同类的轻视、误解甚至迫害;由于我们必须清理暴力所留下的烂摊子,所以我们的力量被削弱了。第三段指出:在我们开始思考种族间和平共处的方案之前,我们必须正确评价各自的问题;要想做到这一点,我们就必须互相了解各自的问题。这说明,本文主要讲的是:暴力解决不了种族歧视问题。B说“暴力难以消除种族歧视”,这可以表达文章的主题。A与文章的意思相反;C只是文章第一段中提到的一个细节,不能表达文章的中心意思;文中只是说“在有些国家,白人利用暴力实行镇压统治;而有的国家,黑人通过放火、抢掠等进行反抗”,并没有说“人类的本性是嗜暴性”,所以D不对。
单选题 According to the passage, recorded history has taught us ______.
  • A. violence never solves anything
  • B. nothing
  • C. the bloodshed means nothing
  • D. everything
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】这是一道细节题。题干中的信号词为recorded history,出自于文章第一段第六句话中。文章第一段指出:在整个人类社会有记载的历史中,那些有关暴力的冗长记载根本就没有教会人类任何东西;我们仍然没有了解到,暴力不但永远解决不了问题,反而会使问题变得更加严重。这说明,有记载的历史没有教会人类任何东西。B说“没有什么”,这与文章的意思相符。A与文章的意思相反;文中提到the bloodshed时是说“绝对的恐惧、流血和痛苦没有任何意义”,并没有说这是人类社会的历史,所以C不对;D明显与文章的意思不符。
单选题 It can be inferred that truly reasonable men ______.
  • A. can't get a hearing
  • B. are looked down upon
  • C. are persecuted
  • D. have difficulty in advocating law enforcement
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】这是一道推论题。题干中的信号词为truly reasonable men,出自于文章第二段第一句话中。文章第二段指出:那些知道解决方法的真正理智的人们却越来越难以得到发言的机会,因为他们倡导诸如依法治理等明显出格的事情,所以他们遭到同类的轻视、误解甚至迫害。由此可知,真正理智的人们在倡导依法治理方面有困难。D说“在倡导法制方面有困难”,这与文章的意思相符。A、B和C都是文中明确指出的,不必推论就可知结果,所以不对。
单选题 The sentence "He was none the wiser" (Paragraph 3) probably means ______.
  • A. he was not at all wise in listening
  • B. he was not at all wiser than nothing before
  • C. he gains nothing after listening
  • D. he makes no sense of the argument
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】这是一道词义题。题干中的信号词出自于文章第三段第五句话中,文章第三段指出:鼓吹暴力的人说,你们能做的就是交谈,我们不知道你们要干什么;这很像是一位著名的律师不辞辛苦地向法官陈述其案件的故事;听完其冗长的陈述后,法官抱怨说,他还是不了解案件。这说明,该句话的意思应该是“听完陈述后,他对案件还是不了解”。C说“听完陈述后,他一无所获”,这与文章的意思相符。A和B明显与文章的意思不符;D是误解了句子的意思。
单选题 According to the author the best way to solve race prejudice is ______.
  • A. law enforcement
  • B. knowledge
  • C. nonviolence
  • D. mopping up the violent mess
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】这是一道细节题。文章第二段指出:那些知道解决方法的真正理智的人们却越来越难以得到发言的机会,因为他们倡导诸如依法治理等明显出格的事情;如果正确引导人们的努力,那么我们要实现稳定的社会计划的理想不是没有可能;如果我们依法行事,那么真正持久的解决方案是可能找到的。这说明,作者认为,解决种族歧视的最佳方法就是提倡法制。A“法制”,与作者的观点相符。B、C和D都不是作者的观点。