A wise man once said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. So, as a police officer, I have some urgent things to say to good people.
Days after days my men and I struggle to hold back 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 key 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 police officer 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.
Fortunately there are still communities—smaller towns, usually—where schools maintain discipline and where parents hold up standards that proclaim: “In this family certain thing 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 gone. He considers your property his property; he takes what he wants, including your life if you enrage him.
The main cause of this break-down 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 reach 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 in America desperately need more people who believe that the person who commits a crime is the one responsible for it.
1. What the wise man said suggests that ______.
2. According to the author, if a person is found guilty of a crime, ______.
3. Compared with those in small towns, people in large cities have ______.
4. The writer is sorry to have noticed that ______.
5. The key point of the passage is that ______.
问题1选项
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
问题2选项
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
问题3选项
A.less self-discipline
B.better sense of discipline
C.more mutual respect
D.less effective government
问题4选项
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
问题5选项
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
第1题:B
第2题:C
第3题:A
第4题:A
第5题:D
第1题:
【选项释义】
What the wise man said suggests that ______. 智者所说的话表明______。
A. it’s unnecessary for good people to do anything in face of evil A. 面对邪恶，好人没有必要做任何事
B. it’s certain that evil will prevail if good men do nothing about it B. 如果好人不采取行动，邪恶肯定会占上风
C. it’s only natural for virtue to defeat evil C. 美德战胜邪恶是很自然的
D. it’s desirable for good men to keep away from evil D. 好人远离邪恶是可取的
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】由题干可以定位到文章第一段第一句“A wise man once said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.（一位智者曾经说过，邪恶胜利的唯一必要条件就是好人什么都不做。）”，通过阅读全文进一步理解其深层含义，可以推断出这句话暗示着：如果好人对邪恶坐视不管，那它就会盛行猖獗。因此B选项“如果好人不采取行动，邪恶肯定会占上风”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“面对邪恶，好人没有必要做任何事”、C选项“美德战胜邪恶是很自然的”和D选项“好人远离邪恶是可取的”，均不是智者的话所表达的含义，属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
According to the author, if a person is found guilty of a crime, ______. 根据作者所说，如果一个人被判有罪，______。
A. society is to be held responsible A. 社会应该对此负责
B. modern civilization is responsible for it B. 现代文明对此负有责任
C. the criminal himself should bear the blame C. 罪犯自己应该承担责任
D. the standards of living should be improved D. 生活水平应该提高
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据文章最后一段“We in America desperately need more people who believe that the person who commits a crime is the one responsible for it.（在美国，我们迫切需要更多的人相信犯罪的人应该对罪行负责。）”，由此可知，作者认为罪犯实施犯罪行为的责任应归咎于他自身。因此C选项“罪犯自己应该承担责任”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“社会应该对此负责”、B选项“现代文明对此负有责任”和D选项“生活水平应该提高”，文中均没有提及，属于无中生有。
第3题:
【选项释义】
Compared with those in small towns, people in large cities have ______. 与小城镇的人相比，大城市的人有______。
A. less self-discipline A. 更差的自律性
B. better sense of discipline B. 更强的纪律性
C. more mutual respect C. 更多相互尊重
D. less effective government D. 效率更低的政府
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据第六段第一句“Fortunately there are still communities—smaller towns, usually—where schools maintain discipline and where parents hold up standards（幸运的是，仍有一些社区——通常是较小的城镇——在那里，学校保持纪律，家长坚持标准）”和第七段第一句“Yet more and more, especially in our larger cities and suburbs, these inner restraints are loosening.（然而，尤其是在大城市和市郊，这些内在的约束正在越来越多地放松。）”可知，大城市的人比小城镇的人自律性更差。因此A选项“更差的自律性”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“更强的纪律性”，与原文内容相反，属于反向干扰；
C选项“更多相互尊重”和D选项“效率更低的政府”，文中均没有提及，属于无中生有。
第4题:
【选项释义】
The writer is sorry to have noticed that ______. 作者很遗憾地注意到______。
A. people in large cities tend to excuse criminals A. 大城市的人们倾向于为罪犯开脱罪责
B. people in small towns still stick to old discipline and standards B. 小城镇的人们仍然坚持旧的纪律和标准
C. today’s society lacks sympathy for people in difficulty C. 当今社会缺乏对处于困境的人的同情心
D. people in disadvantaged circumstances are engaged in criminal activities D. 处境不利的人从事犯罪活动
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据文章第八段“The main cause of this break-down 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 reach him with moral guidance, by the parents who didn’t provide a stable home.（这种崩溃的主要原因是态度的根本转变。30年前，如果发生犯罪，社会被认为是受害者。现在，在一个令人震惊的逆转中，罪犯被认为是受害者：由于他贫穷的成长环境，由于没有教他读书的学校，由于没有给他道德指导的教堂，由于没有给他提供稳定家庭的父母。）”可知，从前人们谴责的是罪犯，而现在则相反，人们认为罪犯是他不良成长环境的受害者，说明人们在宽恕罪犯。因此A选项“大城市的人们倾向于为罪犯开脱罪责”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“小城镇的人们仍然坚持旧的纪律和标准”，作者认为小城镇坚持旧的纪律和价值标准是好的，属于曲解原文；
C选项“当今社会缺乏对处于困境的人的同情心”，作者认为人们在宽恕罪犯正是由于公众对罪犯给予了过多的同情，属于曲解原文；
D选项“处境不利的人从事犯罪活动”，作者提到很多处在困境中的人并没有犯罪，说明人并不是遇到逆境都会犯罪，犯罪是缺乏责任感的表现，属于曲解原文。
第5题:
【选项释义】
The key point of the passage is that ______. 文章的重点是______。
A. stricter discipline should be maintained in schools and families A. 应该在学校和家庭中保持更严格的纪律
B. more good examples should be set for people to follow B. 应该为人们树立更多的好榜样
C. more restrictions should be imposed on people’s behavior C. 应该对人们的行为施加更多的限制
D. more people should accept the value of accountability D. 更多人应该接受问责制的价值
【考查点】主旨大意题。
【解题思路】文章围绕accountability（责任；问责制）展开论述，并借当今社会人们为罪犯找借口推脱责任的例子指出每个人应当对个人行为负责，在价值观上，更多的人应该认同责任感。因此D选项“更多的人应该接受问责制的价值”最能体现文章主旨，符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“应该在学校和家庭中保持更严格的纪律”、B选项“应该为人们树立更多的好榜样”和C选项“应该对人们的行为施加更多的限制”，文中均没有提及，属于无中生有。
