听力原文：
Recording One

What is a radical? It seems today that people are terrified of the term , particularly of having the label attached to them.  Accusing individuals or groups of being radical often serves to silence them into submission, thereby maintaining the existing state of affairs , and , more important , preserving the power of a select minority who are mostly wealthy white males in Western society.
Feminism is a perfect example of this phenomenon. The women's movement has been plagued by stereotypes , misrepresentations by the media and accusations of man-hating and radicalism , when the basic foundation of feminism is simply that women deserve equal rights in all facets of life. When faced with a threat of being labelled radical , women back down from their worthy cause and consequently participate in their own oppression. It has gotten to the point that many women are afraid to call themselves feminists because of the stigma attached to the word. If people refuse to be controlled and intimidated by stigmas , the stigmas lose all their power. Without fear on which they feed , such stigmas can only die.
To me , a radical is simply someone who rebels against the norm while advocates a change in the existing state of affairs. On closer inspection , it becomes clear that the norm is constantly evolving and therefore is not a constant entity. So why then is deviation from the present situation such a threat when the state of affairs itself is unstable and subject to relentless transformation ? It all goes back to maintaining the power of those who have it and preventing the rights of those who don't. In fact , when we look at the word “ radical ” in a historical context , nearly every figure we now hold up as a hero was considered a radical in his or her time. Radicals are people who effect change. They are the people about whom history is written. Abolitionists were radicals ; civil rights activists were radicals ; even the founders of our country in their fight to win independence from England were radicals. Their presence in history has changed the way our society functions , mainly by shifting the balance of power that previously existed. Of course , there are some radicals who've made a negative impact on humanity. But undeniably , there would simply be no progress without radicals. That being said , next time someone calls me a radical , I will accept that label with pride.

Q16：What usually happens when people are accused of being radical ?

讲座开头处提到，指责个人或团体激进往往会使他们保持沉默并屈服，从而维持现状。故选项 A 正确。

听力原文：
Recording One

What is a radical? It seems today that people are terrified of the term , particularly of having the label attached to them.  Accusing individuals or groups of being radical often serves to silence them into submission, thereby maintaining the existing state of affairs , and , more important , preserving the power of a select minority who are mostly wealthy white males in Western society.
Feminism is a perfect example of this phenomenon. The women's movement has been plagued by stereotypes , misrepresentations by the media and accusations of man-hating and radicalism , when the basic foundation of feminism is simply that women deserve equal rights in all facets of life. When faced with a threat of being labelled radical , women back down from their worthy cause and consequently participate in their own oppression. It has gotten to the point that many women are afraid to call themselves feminists because of the stigma attached to the word. If people refuse to be controlled and intimidated by stigmas , the stigmas lose all their power. Without fear on which they feed , such stigmas can only die.
To me , a radical is simply someone who rebels against the norm while advocates a change in the existing state of affairs. On closer inspection , it becomes clear that the norm is constantly evolving and therefore is not a constant entity. So why then is deviation from the present situation such a threat when the state of affairs itself is unstable and subject to relentless transformation ? It all goes back to maintaining the power of those who have it and preventing the rights of those who don't. In fact , when we look at the word “ radical ” in a historical context , nearly every figure we now hold up as a hero was considered a radical in his or her time. Radicals are people who effect change. They are the people about whom history is written. Abolitionists were radicals ; civil rights activists were radicals ; even the founders of our country in their fight to win independence from England were radicals. Their presence in history has changed the way our society functions , mainly by shifting the balance of power that previously existed. Of course , there are some radicals who've made a negative impact on humanity. But undeniably , there would simply be no progress without radicals. That being said , next time someone calls me a radical , I will accept that label with pride.

Q17：What is the speaker's definition of a radical?

讲座中讲话者明确提到，对他而言，激进分子就是那种反对常规，同时主张改变现状的人。 也就是说，讲话者认为，激进分子是反抗现有社会秩序的人。 故选项 D 正确。

听力原文：
Recording One

What is a radical? It seems today that people are terrified of the term , particularly of having the label attached to them.  Accusing individuals or groups of being radical often serves to silence them into submission, thereby maintaining the existing state of affairs , and , more important , preserving the power of a select minority who are mostly wealthy white males in Western society.
Feminism is a perfect example of this phenomenon. The women's movement has been plagued by stereotypes , misrepresentations by the media and accusations of man-hating and radicalism , when the basic foundation of feminism is simply that women deserve equal rights in all facets of life. When faced with a threat of being labelled radical , women back down from their worthy cause and consequently participate in their own oppression. It has gotten to the point that many women are afraid to call themselves feminists because of the stigma attached to the word. If people refuse to be controlled and intimidated by stigmas , the stigmas lose all their power. Without fear on which they feed , such stigmas can only die.
To me , a radical is simply someone who rebels against the norm while advocates a change in the existing state of affairs. On closer inspection , it becomes clear that the norm is constantly evolving and therefore is not a constant entity. So why then is deviation from the present situation such a threat when the state of affairs itself is unstable and subject to relentless transformation ? It all goes back to maintaining the power of those who have it and preventing the rights of those who don't. In fact , when we look at the word “ radical ” in a historical context , nearly every figure we now hold up as a hero was considered a radical in his or her time. Radicals are people who effect change. They are the people about whom history is written. Abolitionists were radicals ; civil rights activists were radicals ; even the founders of our country in their fight to win independence from England were radicals. Their presence in history has changed the way our society functions , mainly by shifting the balance of power that previously existed. Of course , there are some radicals who've made a negative impact on humanity. But undeniably , there would simply be no progress without radicals. That being said , next time someone calls me a radical , I will accept that label with pride.

Q18：What does the speaker think of most radicals in the American history?

讲座后半部分提到了讲话者对美国历史上激进分子的看法，他说，当我们在历史背景下看“激进分子”这个词的时候，几乎每一个被我们视为英雄的人在他或她所处的时代都被认为是激进分子。 他们是引起变革的人。 即讲话者认为，历史上的那些激进分子是推动社会进步的动力。 故选项 C 正确。