单选题
A smart man once said that the only thing necessary for
the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. So, as a policeman , I have
some urgent things to say to good people. Days after days my
men and I struggle to stop a tidal wave of crime. Something has gone terribly
wrong with our once-proud American way of life. It has happened in the area of
values. A principle ingredient is disappearing, and I think I know what it is:
accountability. Accountability isn' t hard to define. It means
that every person is responsible for his or her actions and liable for their
consequences. Of the many values that hold civilization
together — honesty, kindness, and so on — accountability may be the most
important of all. Without it, there can be no respect, no trust, no law — and,
ultimately, no society. My job as a policeman is to impose
accountability on people who refuse, or have never learned, to impose it on
themselves. But as every policeman knows, external controls on people' s
behavior are far less effective than internal restraints such as guilt, shame
and embarrassment. Luckly there are still communities — smaller
towns, usually — where schools keep discipline and where parents hold up
standards that proclaim: "In this family certain things are not tolerated — they
simply are not done!" Yet more and more, especially in our
larger cities and suburbs, these inner restraints are loosening. Your typical
robber has none. He considers your property his property; he takes what he
wants, including your life if you make him very angry. The main
cause of this breakdown is a radical shift in attitudes. Thirty years ago, if a
crime was committed, society was considered the victim. Now, in a shocking
reversal, it's the criminal who is considered victimized: by his underprivileged
upbringing, by the school that didn' t teach him to read, by the church that
failed to teach him with moral guidance, by the parents who didn' t provide a
stable home. I don' t believe it. Many others in equally
disadvantaged circumstances choose not to engage in criminal activities. If we
free the criminal, even partly, from accountability, we become a society of
endless excuses where no one accepts responsibility for anything.
We desperately need more people who believe that the person who commits a
crime is the one responsible for it.
单选题
What the wise man said suggests that
A. it' s unnecessary for good people to do anything in face of evil.
B. it's certain that evil will prevail if good men do nothing about it.
C. it's only natural for virtue to defeat evil.
D. it's desirable for good men to keep away from evil.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing．邪恶能得逞的惟一原因就是好人袖子旁观。故应选B。
单选题
According to the author, if a person is found guilty of a crime
A. society is to be held responsible.
B. modern civilization is responsible for it.
C. the criminal himself should bear the blame.
D. the standards of living should be improved.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 文章最后一句：We desperately need more people who believe that the person who commits a crime is the one responsibe for it.故应选C。
单选题
Compared with those small towns, people in large cities have
A. less self-discipline.
B. better sense of discipline.
C. more mutual respect.
D. less effective government.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第七段第一行：Yet more and more，especially in our larger cities and suburbs these inner restraints are loosening．故应选A。
单选题
The writer is sorry to have noticed that
A. people in large cities tend to excuse criminals.
B. people in small towns still stick to old discipline and standards.
C. today's society lacks sympathy for people in difficulty.
D. people in disadvantaged circumstances are engaged in criminal activities.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第八段第二行：Now，in a shocking reversal，it's the criminal who is considered victimized．故应选A。
单选题
The key point of the passage is that
A. stricter discipline should be maintained in schools and families.
B. more good examples should be set for people to follow.
C. more restrictions should be imposed on people' s behavior.
D. more people should accept the value of accountability.