No man has been more harshly judged than Machiavelli, especially in the two centuries following his death. But he has since found many able champions and the tide has turned. The prince has been termed a manual for tyrants, the effect of which has been most harmful. But were Machiavelli’s doctrines really new? Did he discover them? He merely had the frankness and courage to write down what everybody was thinking and what everybody knew. He merely gives us the impressions he had received from a long and intimate intercourse with princes and the affairs of state. It was Lord Bacon who said that Machiavelli tells us what princes do, not what they ought to do. When Machiavelli takes Caesar Borgia as a model, he does not praise him as a hero at all, but merely as a prince who was capable of attaining the end in view. The life of the state was the primary object. It must be maintained. And Machiavelli has laid down the principles, based upon his study and wide experience, by which this may be accomplished. He wrote from the viewpoint of the politician—not of the moralist. What is good politics may be bad morals, and in fact, by a strange fatality, where morals and politics clash, the latter generally gets the upper hand. And will anyone contend that the principles set forth by Machiavelli in his Prince or his Discourses have entirely perished from the earth? Has diplomacy been entirely stripped of fraud and duplicity? Let anyone read the famous eighteenth chapter of The Prince: “In what Manner Princes should Keep their Faith.” and he will be convinced that what was true nearly four hundred years ago, is quite as true today.
Of the remaining works of Machiavelli the most important is the History of Florence written between 1521 and 1525, and dedicated to Clement VII. This book is merely a rapid review of the Middle Ages, and as part of it the history of Florence. Machiavelli’s method has been criticized for adhering at times too closely to the chroniclers of his time, and at others rejecting their testimony without apparent reason, while in its details the authority of his History is often questionable. It is the straightforward, logical narrative, which always holds the interest of the reader, that is the greatest charm of the History.
36. It can be inferred from the beginning of the text that ______.
37. Lord Bacon’s remarks on Machiavelli is quoted as ______.
38. In the case of Caesar Borgia the author holds that ______.
39. According to the author, a politician’s morality ______.
40. The author’s opinion on Machiavelli’s History of Florence is that ______.
问题1选项
A.many people used to think highly of Machiavelli
B.Machiavelli had been very influential among the rulers
C.Machiavelli was widely read among his contemporaries
D.Machiavelli has been a target of criticism throughout history
问题2选项
A.a support for the author’s viewpoint
B.one of the mainstream view on him
C.a judgment in support of most critics
D.a modification of the author’s previous starts
问题3选项
A.Machiavelli has been objective
B.Machiavelli revealed his personality
C.Caesar Borgia was a deserved model
D.Machiavelli overvalued Caesar Borgia
问题4选项
A.is no match for his political ambition
B.has been undervalued by Machiavelli and his likes
C.is usually of secondary importance
D.should be taken as a yardstick of his inability
问题5选项
A.history has much to do with the person who records it
B.the charm lies in the style rather than in the content
C.most people failed to read Machiavelli’s intention in it
D.any history of this kind should be written in this way
第1题:D
第2题:A
第3题:A
第4题:C
第5题:B
36.【试题答案】D
【试题解析】推理判断题。由题干可以定位到文章第一段第一句No man has been more harshly judged than Machiavelli, especially in the two centuries following his death.（没人比马基雅维利所遭受的批判更严酷了，尤其是在他死后的两个世纪以内。），说明马基雅维利在历史上一直都是人们批判的对象。因此D选项“马基雅维利在历史上一直是被批判的对象”正确。A选项“过去很多人对马基雅维利的评价很高”，B选项“马基雅维利在统治者中的影响很大”，C选项“马基雅维利在同时代人中阅读量很大”在文中均没有提及，所以A，B，C错误。
37.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】推理判断题。作者在说明马基雅维利一直受到严厉批判后指出But he has since found many able champions and the tide has turned.（但是，他从此铸造了许多能干的斗士，潮流也从此逆转了。），接着说《君主论》成了暴君的指南，后果极其有害。然后，作者提出了两个问题并进行了回答，提出了自己的观点：马基雅维利的观点并非独创，他只是将自己的印象记录下来，敢于将大家都知道的东西写下来而已。接着引用培根的话It was Lord Bacon who said that Machiavelli tells us what princes do, not what they ought to do.（马基雅维利告诉我们君主所做的事，而不是他们应该做的事。），说明马基雅维利只是告诉人们君主所做的事情，而非君主应当如何去做。这和作者的观点是一致的，作者引用的目的是为了支持自己的观点。因此A选项“是对作者观点的支持”正确。B选项“对他的主流观点之一”，C选项“支持大多数批评者的判断”，D选项“对作者上文的开头进行了修改”均不符合作者的行文逻辑，所以B，C，D错误。
38.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】观点态度题。在第一段中作者举了凯撒•博鲁吉亚的例子，说明he does not praise him as a hero at all, but merely as a prince who was capable of attaining the end in view.（他完全没有把他赞美成英雄，而是仅仅说他作为一个君主，能够达到自己想要的目的。），“英雄”是主观看法，“君主”是客观事实，说明作者认为马基雅维利是客观记述而不是主观判断。所以A选项“马基雅维利的观点是客观的”正确。B选项“马基雅维利揭示了自己的个性”，C选项“凯撒•博鲁吉亚是当之无愧的楷模”，D选项“马基雅维利高估了凯撒•博鲁吉亚的价值”在文中均没有提及，所以B，C，D错误。
39.【试题答案】C
【试题解析】客观细节题。由题干可以定位到文章第一段倒数第四句What is good politics may be bad morals, and in fact, by a strange fatality, where morals and politics clash, the latter generally gets the upper hand.（政治上的好事从道德方面看可能是坏事，事实上很奇怪的是，当道德和政治发生冲突时，往往后者会占据上风。），说明政治家往往会认为政治比道德更重要。因此C选项“道德通常是次要的”正确。A选项“与他的政治野心不相称”，B选项“被马基雅维利及其同类人低估了价值”，D选项“应作为衡量他是否有能力的标准”在文中均没有提及，所以A，B，D错误。
40.【试题答案】B
【试题解析】推理判断题。由题干可以定位到文章最后一段最后一句It is the straightforward, logical narrative, which always holds the interest of the reader, that is the greatest charm of the History.（它直接的、有逻辑的叙述常常能引起读者的兴趣，这就是他这本书的魅力所在。），说明作者认为这本书的魅力之处在于它的叙述风格。因此B选项“魅力在于风格而不在于内容”正确。A选项“历史与记录历史的人有很大的关系”，C选项“大多数人没有读懂马基雅维利在其中的意图”，D选项“任何这类历史都应该这样写”在文中均没有提及，所以A，C，D错误。
