单选题
India's nomads have roamed the subcontinent for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years. The Gadulia Lobar (their name comes from the Hindi words for "cart, " gadulia and "blacksmith, " lohar) are among the best known. In their illustrious past the Gadulia Lohar forged armor for Hindu kings. Today these blacksmiths pitch camp on the outskirts of tiny Indian villages and make simple goods from metal. Others are herders, such as the Rabari, famous throughout western India for their large scarfs and familiarity with all things concerning camel. Some are hunters and plant gatherers. Some are service providers—salt traders, fortune-tellers, magicians. And some are story-tellers, snake charmers, animal doctors, tattooists, basket makers. In total, anthropologists have identified about 500 nomadic groups in India, numbering perhaps 80 million people—around 7 percent of the country's billion-plus population. These wanderers were once part of India's mainstream. They meshed comfortably with the villagers who lived along their annual migration routes. In the 19th century, though, attitudes began to change. British administrators regarded them as vagrants and criminals, sowing prejudice that survived colonial rule. The rapidly modernizing India of call centers and brand-obsessed youth has scant use for tinkers or bear trainers, and cattle herders are in a losing battle with industry and urban sprawl. Fragmented by hierarchy, language, and region, the nomads are ignored by politicians and, in contrast to other downtrodden groups, have reaped few benefits from social welfare schemes. Just defining the term "nomad" is problematic in India. Many groups that once definitely fit the category have clustered in slums in a process anthropologists call sedentarization. Yet India remains a rigidly hierarchical society in which birth is often synonymous with destiny. So, mobile or not, India's nomads are united by a history of poverty and exclusion that continues to this day. probably the biggest human rights crisis you've never heard of. To the lonely few who have taken up the nomads' cause, a big part of the solution is to provide them with roofs over their heads, or at least an address, which would make it easier for them to get welfare benefits and enroll their kids in school. But such efforts have met fierce resistance from villagers and local politicians, who see the roamers as disreputable outsiders. India once teemed with such traveling niche workers. Many were first described in detail by a British civil servant, D. Ibbetson, in an 1883 report based on census data from the Punjab region. Ibbetson's observations reflected the prejudices of the day and the widely held belief in Britain that nomads—and especially the dark-skinned Romany-speaking people known as Gypsies—were unchangeable agents of vice. Such attitudes transferred easily to the subcontinent.
单选题
The author mentions the nomads have wandered India for thousands of years to______. [A] prove they are the largest disadvantageous group in India [B] demonstrate their long history of poverty-stricken situation [C] emphasize rapidly modernizing India lead to large number of nomads [D] highlight that nomads in India have an illustrious past
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[试题类型] 篇章结构题。 [解题思路] 根据题干中关键信息"the nomads have roamed India for thousands of years"可定位至文章第一段。该段首句指出，印度的许多部落流浪了很久，有几百年甚至几千年。接着介绍了流浪部落过去广泛的职业范围，庞大的部落数量及人口。由此可知，第一段都在讲流浪部落过去的繁荣，故可推知作者提及流浪部落漫长的历史意在说明其辉煌的过去，选项[D]正确。 [干扰排除] 文章提及流浪者漫长的历史并非为了说明“他们是印度处于最不利地位的群体”，相反由历史可知流浪部落曾经很辉煌，而文中后来讨论到流浪者的没落也没有明确提出他们没落到最不利的地位，故可排除选项[A]。在第一段中，作者说叫了印度流浪部落在过去人数众多、人员构成十分丰富，部落文化繁盛(illustrious、famous)，故可推知在过去印度流浪部落并不属于贫困人口，选项[B]“其漫长的极度贫困的历史”与原文不符，可排除。选项[C]rapidly modernizing India出现在第二段第五句，此处作者意在表达“飞速现代化的印度使从事传统工作的流浪并没有了用武之地”，选项[C]“现代化的印度形成了大量的流浪者”与此矛盾，更不是作者提及其漫长历史的原因，故排除该选项。
单选题
We can infer from the passage that in India______. [A] there was no prejudice against nomads in the 18th century [B] nomads are unavoidable for its hierarchical society [C] nomads enjoyed more social welfare during the colonial period [D] politicians want to solve the problems by providing nomads residence
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[试题类型] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 文章第三段最后两句提到，印度现在仍然是等级森严的社会，在这里，家庭出身通常就决定了命运(a rigidly hierarchical society in which birth is often synonymous with destiny)。不管是迁移还是定居，贫穷以及延续至今的受人排挤的历史将这些印度的流浪者们联系在一起。言下之意，作者认为，由于印度的等级制度和流浪者的出身，他们的命运始终摆脱不了流浪者的身份，所以流浪者也不易从印度社会中消失，即不可避免地存在着。选项[B]正是此意，故正确。 [干扰排除] 选项[A]过度推理，文中只提到从19世纪开始，对流浪者的态度开始转变(In the 19th century, attitudes began to change)，但并不能推知18世纪时没有对流浪者的歧视。选项[C]错误，既然19世纪英国殖民者进入印度，使得流浪者受到歧视(regarded them as vagrants and criminals)，那么在殖民时期流浪者不可能享受更多的社会福利。选项[D]错误，文章第四段提到应当为流浪者提供住所(provide them with roofs over their heads)，但遭到了政治家们的强烈反对(have met fierce resistance from...local politicians)，选项[D]“政治家们希望通过给流浪者提供居住地来解决问题”与此不符，故排除。
单选题
According to the passage, the most ambitious effort to solve the nomad's problem should be______. [A] the improvement of the local economy [B] the elevation of their political status [C] the removal of the hierarchical social structure [D] the fulfillment of the welfare benefits
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[试题类型] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 本题就如何解决流浪者问题提问。文章第二段最后一句提到，等级制度以及语言、地区等差异使印度流浪者被政治家忽略，很少享受到社会福利。第三段第三句也提到，印度是一个等级制度森严的国家(rigidly hierarchical)，出身通常就决定了命运(birth is often synonymous with destiny)。由此可推知，在印度根深蒂固的等级制度之下，流浪者世世代代受到歧视，难以过上舒适的生活。因此要解决这一问题，最彻底的方式就是废除造成流浪者现状的等级制度，选项[C]正确。 [干扰排除] 选项[A]意为“促进当地经济发展”，选项[B]意为“提高他们的政治地位”，选项[D]意为“满足其福利要求”，文中提到了流浪者目前经济状况不佳(a long history of poverty)、无法享受社会福利(have reaped few benefits from social welfare schemes)，以及被政治家忽略(ignored by politicians、such efforts have met fierce resistance...from)等问题，选项[A]、[B]、[D]都是解决这些问题的措施，但这造成这些问题更深层次的原因是印度根深蒂固的等级制度，所以要从根本上解决问题仍要从印度的等级制度入手，故选项[A]、[B]、[D]与题干中的the most ambitious effort不符，可排除。
单选题
What is the author's attitude towards the nomads? [A] Sympathetic. [B] Hostile. [C] Optimistic. [D] Indifferent.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[试题类型] 观点态度题。 [解题思路] 本题就作者对于流浪者的态度进行提问。通读全文可知，作者在文章开头点明了流浪部落从过去的辉煌(illustrious)到如今的没落。接着对印度流浪部落悲惨的现状进行了说明：现代化发展让他们无用武之地(has scant use for)，并且被政治家忽视(ignored by politicians)，饱受歧视，很少能享受到社会福利(have reaped few benefits from social welfare schemes)。而帮助那些少的可怜的流浪者(the lonely few)的方法也遭到村民以及政府工作人员的强烈反对(fierce resistance)。由此可知，流浪者的处境是很凄惨的，而作者对流浪者是持同情、动容的态度，故选项[A]sympathetic(同情的；怜悯的)为答案。 [干扰排除] 选项[B]意为“充满敌意的；仇恨的”，选项[D]意为“冷漠的；冷淡的”，在文中均没有体现。选项[C]optimistic意为“乐观的”，文中描述了改变流浪者现状的种种难题，故作者的态度不应是“乐观的”，选项[C]也可以排除。
单选题
Which of the following is the text mainly about? [A] The consequences of wandering in India. [B] The causes of nomads wandering in India. [C] The social problems of wandering in India. [D] The past and present of the nomads in India.