In some countries where racial prejudice is acute, violence has so come to be taken for granted as a means of solving differences that it is not even questioned. There are countries where the white man imposes his rule by brute force: there are countries where the black man protests by setting fire to cities and by looting and pillaging. Important people on both sides who would in other respects appear to be reasonable men, get up and calmly argue in favor of violence—as if it were a legitimate solution, like any other. What is really frightening, what really fills you with despair is the realization that when it comes to the crunch, we have made no actual progress at all. We may wear collars and ties instead of war-paint, but our instincts remain basically unchanged: The whole of the recorded history of the human race, that tedious documentation of violence, has taught us absolutely nothing. We have still not learnt that violence never solves a problem but makes it more acute. The sheer horror, the bloodshed, the suffering mean nothing. No solution ever comes to light the morning after when we dismally contemplate the smoking ruins and wonder what hit us.
The truly reasonable men who know where the solutions lie are finding it harder and harder to get a hearing. They are despised, mistrusted and even persecuted by their own kind because they advocate such apparently outrageous things as law enforcement. If half the energy that goes into violent acts were put to good use, if our efforts were directed at cleaning up the slums and ghettos, at improving living-standards and providing education and employment for all, we would have gone a long way to arriving at a solution. Our strength is sapped by having to mop up the mess that violence leaves in its wake. In a well-directed effort, it would not be impossible to fulfill the ideals of a stable social programme. The benefits that can be derived from constructive solutions are everywhere apparent in the world around us. Genuine and lasting solutions are always possible, providing we work within the framework of the law.
Before we can even begin to contemplate peaceful co-existence between the races, we must appreciate each other’s problems. And to do this, we must learn about them: it is a simple exercise in communication, in exchanging information. “Talk, talk, talk,” the advocates of violence say, “all you ever do is talk, and we are none the wiser.” It’s rather like the story of the famous barrister who painstakingly explained his case to the judge. After listening to a lengthy argument the judge complained that after all this talk, he was none the wiser. “Possibly, my Lord,” the barrister replied, “none the wiser, but surely far better informed.” Knowledge is the necessary prerequisite to wisdom: the knowledge that violence creates the evils it pretends to solve.
1. What is the best title for this passage?
2. Recorded history has taught us ____.
3. It can be inferred that truly reasonable men ____.
4. “He was none the wiser” means ____.
问题1选项
A.Advocating Violence
B.Violence Can Do Nothing to Diminish Race Prejudice
C.Important People on Both Sides See Violence Are a Legitimate Solution
D.The Instincts of Human Race Are Thirsty for Violence
问题2选项
A.violence never solves anything
B.nothing
C.the bloodshed means nothing
D.everything
问题3选项
A.can’t get a hearing
B.are looked down upon
C.are persecuted
D.have difficulty in advocating law enforcement
问题4选项
A.he was not at all wise in listening
B.he was not at all wiser than nothing before
C.he gains nothing after listening
D.he makes no sense of the argument
第1题:
【选项释义】
What is the best title for this passage? 这篇文章的最佳标题是什么？
A. Advocating Violence A. 崇尚暴力
B. Violence Can Do Nothing to Diminish Race Prejudice B. 暴力无法消除种族偏见
C. Important People on Both Sides See Violence Are a Legitimate Solution C. 双方重要人士都认为暴力是一种合法的解决方案
D. The Instincts of Human Race Are Thirsty for Violence D. 人类的本能是对暴力的渴望
【考查点】主旨大意题
【解题思路】文章第一段首先指出，人类历史上充斥着暴力记录，在有些国家，白人用蛮力实行统治；在有些国家，黑人用放火焚烧城市、抢劫掠夺的方式进行抗议。最后，作者提出自己的观点：暴力从来都不能解决问题，反而会使问题更加尖锐（violence never solves a problem but makes it more acute）。在接下来的段落中，我们也可以看出作者是反对暴力的，由此可知，文章主要说明了暴力无法消除种族偏见，B选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“崇尚暴力”根据第一段前半部分的内容可知，“崇尚暴力”是人类历史上一些国家的做法，与作者在文中重点阐述的观点“暴力从来都不能解决问题，反而会使问题更加尖锐”不相符，属于曲解原文；
C选项“双方重要人士都认为暴力是一种合法的解决方案”定位到第一段第三句“双方的重要人物在其他方面看起来都是通情达理的人，但他们却站起来冷静地为暴力辩护——好像这是一种合法的解决办法，与其他解决办法一样。”这是文中的细节信息，不是全文的主旨，属于以偏概全；
D选项“人类的本能是对暴力的渴望”定位到第一段第五句“我们可能会戴上衣领和领带，而不是战袍，但我们的本能基本上没有改变（but our instincts remain basically unchanged）：人类的整个历史记录，那乏味的暴力记录，已经让我们完全明白了这一点。”也就是说，虽然人类的日常习惯和外表随着时代的变化而变化，但人类内在的本质和冲动——如暴力和争斗——仍然存在。但这并不意味着“人类的本能是对暴力的渴望（Thirsty for Violence）”，属于曲解原文。
第2题:
【选项释义】
Recorded history has taught us ____. 有记载的历史____。
A. violence never solves anything A. 告诉我们暴力永远解决不了问题
B. nothing B. 什么都没有告诉我们
C. the bloodshed means nothing C. 告诉我们流血毫无意义
D. everything D. 告诉我们所有事情
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据关键词“Recorded history”定位到第一段倒数第四句“人类的全部历史记录，那些冗长乏味的暴力记录，完全没有教给我们任何东西（The whole of the recorded history of the human race, that tedious documentation of violence, has taught us absolutely nothing.）。”由此可知，B选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项定位到第一段倒数第三句“我们仍然没有认识到，暴力从来都不能解决问题，反而会使问题更加尖锐。”这是作者的观点，与“Recorded history”无关，属于出处错位；
C选项定位到第一段倒数第二句“纯粹的恐怖、流血和痛苦都毫无意义。”这也是作者的观点，与“Recorded history”无关，属于出处错位；
D选项“告诉我们所有事情”与原文表述“人类的全部历史记录，那些冗长乏味的暴力记录，完全没有教给我们任何东西”相矛盾，属于反向干扰。
第3题:
【选项释义】
It can be inferred that truly reasonable men ____. 从文中可以推断出真正明事理的人____。
A. can’t get a hearing A. 得不到申辩机会
B. are looked down upon B. 被人瞧不起
C. are persecuted C. 受到迫害
D. have difficulty in advocating law enforcement D. 在倡导执法方面有困难
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】根据关键词“reasonable men”和四个选项可以确定答案所在区域为第二段。该段前两句讲“真正明事理的人知道解决问题的方法在哪里，却发现越来越难得到申辩机会。他们被自己的同类鄙视、不信任，甚至迫害，因为他们主张执法这样明显令人愤慨的事情（because they advocate such apparently outrageous things as law enforcement.）。”根据“advocate such apparently outrageous things as law enforcement”可知，人们认为“law enforcement”是“outrageous things（荒唐的事情）”，由此可推断，真正明事理的人在倡导执法方面有困难，D选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项定位到第二段第一句“真正明事理的人知道解决问题的方法在哪里，却发现越来越难得到申辩机会（finding it harder and harder to get a hearing）。”由此可知，该选项是文章直接给出的信息，并不需要推断，属于答非所问；
B、C选项定位到第二段第二句“他们被自己的同类所鄙视（They are despised），不信任，甚至迫害（even persecuted by their own kind）……”其中，“despised（受轻视的）”与B选项中的“looked down upon（看不起，蔑视）”属于同义替换。由此可知，B、C选项也是文章直接给出的信息，并不需要推断，属于答非所问。
第4题:
【选项释义】
“He was none the wiser” means ____. “He was none the wiser”的意思是____。
A. he was not at all wise in listening A. 他根本不善于倾听
B. he was not at all wiser than nothing before B. 他一点也不比以前聪明
C. he gains nothing after listening C. 他听了之后没有一点收获
D. he makes no sense of the argument D. 他不理解这个论点
【考查点】语义推断题
【解题思路】根据“He was none the wiser”定位到最后一段。本段的前两句提到“在我们开始考虑种族之间的和平共处之前，我们必须了解彼此的问题（appreciate each other’s problems）。要做到这一点，我们必须了解对方的问题（learn about them）：这只是一个简单的沟通和信息交流的过程（it is a simple exercise in communication, in exchanging information）。”接着，作者通过律师和法官的例子讲到“听了律师的长篇大论（a lengthy argument）后，法官抱怨说（complained that），说了这么多，他一点也不比以前聪明（he was none the wiser）”，结合后文“none the wiser, but surely far better informed（一点也不比以前聪明，但是肯定比以前更了解情况了）”可推断，虽然律师煞费苦心地向法官解释他的案子，并陈述了大段的论点，但法官对案件的理解没有增加，不过肯定变得更为了解（获得了更多的信息或者案件的细节）。大律师的目的在于平复法官的抱怨，并尝试区分“wisdom”和“knowledge”，表明虽然他可能没有提供深刻的洞察，但他已经提供了大量的信息。由此可知，“He was none the wiser”在这里是指“法官不理解这个论点”，D选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“他根本不善于倾听”根据最后一段的内容并不能推断出“法官根本不善于倾听”，最后一段作者强调的是“了解彼此的问题（appreciate each other’s problems）”，属于曲解原文；
B选项“他一点也不比以前聪明”是对“none the wiser”的字面理解，并没有结合文章内容来理解，属于答非所问；
C选项“他听了之后没有一点收获”根据原文可知，律师煞费苦心地向法官解释他的案子，所以法官并不会一无所知，而是没有真正理解，属于曲解原文。
