Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors and generals and soldiers, whereas the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all.We do not know who first set a broken leg,or launched a seaworthy boat,or calculated the length of the year,or manured(施肥)a field;but we know all about the killers and destroyers.People think a great deal of them,so much so that on all the highest pillars(纪念柱)in the great cities of the world you will find the figure of a conqueror or a general or a soldier.And I think most people believe that the greatest countries are those that have beaten in battle the greatest number of other countries and ruled over them as conquerors.It is just possible they are,but they are not the most civilized.
Animals fight;so do savages(野蛮人);hence to be good at fighting is to be good in the way in which an animal or a savage is good, but it is not to be civilized.Even being good at getting other people to fight for you and telling them how to do it most efficiently-this,after all,is what conquerors and generals have done-is not being civilized.People fight to settle quarrels.Fighting means killing, and civilized peoples ought to be able to find some way of settling their disputes other than by seeing which side can kill off the greater number of the other side,and then saying that that side which has killed most has won.And it not only has won,but,because it has won,has been in the right.For that is what going to war means;it means saying that might is right.
That is what the story of mankind has on the whole been like.Even our own age has fought the two greatest wars in history,in which millions of people were killed or disabled.And while today it is true that people do not fight and kill each other in the streets-while, that is to say,we have got to the stage of keeping the rules and behaving properly to each other in daily life-nations and countries have not learnt to do this yet,and still behave like savages.
小题1:In the opening sentence the author indicates that ________.
A.conquerors,generals and soldiers should not be mentioned in history books.
B.history books focus more on those who helped civilization forward.
C.those who truly helped civilization forward is rarely mentioned in history books.
D.most history books were written by conquerors,generals and soldiers.小题2:In the author’s opinion,the countries that ruled over a large number of other countries are
A.certainly both the greatest and the most civilized
B.neither the most influential nor the most civilized.
C.possibly the most civilized but not the most powerful.
D.likely the greatest in some sense but not the most civilized.小题3:The meaning of“it means saying that might is right.”(The last sentence of Paragraph 2)is that ________.
A.in a war only those who are powerful will win.
B.those who are right should fight against those who are wrong.
C.only those who are powerful have the right to go to war.
D.those who fight believe that the winner is right and the loser wrong.小题4:In the third paragraph,what the author wants to convey to us is that ________.
A.we have fought fewer wars but suffered heavier casualties.
B.modern time is not so civilized compared with the past.
C.our age is not much better than those of the past.
D.World War I and World War II are different from previous wars.小题5:According to the passage,who helped civilization forward?
A.The pioneers in science and technology.
B.Conquerors and generals.
C.Those setting disputes by force.
The experts in military matters
小题6:This passage is most likely taken from an article entitled ________.
A.Who Should Be Remembered
B.Civilization and History
C.War and World Peace
D.Great conquerors in the world
答案
小题1:C
小题2:D
小题3:D
小题4:C
小题5:A
小题6:B
解析
人们经常记住的是那些征服者,将军或者士兵,但是对于真正推动文明向前发展的人却很少记得。说明真正推动文明发展的不是这些征服者,将军或者士兵。而是科学家和先驱者。
小题1:C
【试题解析】细节题。根据文章1,2行Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors and generals and soldiers,whereas the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all.可知出现在历史书上的大部分人都是征服者和将军或者士兵,那些真正推动文明向前发展的人很少被提及。故C正确。
小题2:D
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第一段最后3行And I think most people believe that the greatest countries are those that have beaten in battle the greatest number of other countries and ruled over them as conquerors.It is just possible they are,but they are not the most civilized.中最后一句but they are not the most civilized可知虽然这些国家统治了很多其他国家,但是他们使用的是武力和暴力,却未必是最文明的。故D正确。
小题3:D
【试题解析】推理题。根据第三段4,5行Fighting means killing,and civilized peoples ought to be able to find some way of settling their disputes other than by seeing which side can kill off the greater number of the other side,and then saying that that side which has killed most has won.And it not only has won,but,because it has won,has been in the right.可知战斗就意味着杀戮,文明的人通常会找到其他的解决争端的方法而不是杀死对方。而战争的意思却不一样,在战争角度来说,胜者为王,败者为寇。所以For that is what going to war means;it means saying that might is right.的意思就是D项内容。
小题4:C
【试题解析】推理题。根据本段2,3行And while today it is true that people do not fight and kill each other in the streets-while,that is to say,we have got to the stage of keeping the rules and behaving properly to each other in daily life可知现在人们已经进入了制定规则并按照规则来做事情,不需要再通过打斗来实现目的的阶段。根据最后一句nations and countries have not learnt to do this yet,and still behave like savages现在不需要再像过去的野蛮人一样了。故C项正确。
小题5:A
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第一段可知人们经常记住的是那些征服者,将军或者士兵,但是对于真正推动文明向前发展的人却很少记得。说明真正推动文明发展的不是这些征服者,将军或者士兵。而是We do not know who first set a broken leg,or launched a seaworthy boat,or calculated the length of the year,or manured(施肥)a field;中的科学家和先驱者。故A正确。
小题6:B
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第一段可知文章讲述的是人们记住的往往只是征服者和将军士兵,对于推动文明发展的先驱者却了解不多,说明本文主要讲述的是文明和历史的话题。故B项正确。
【长难句解析】
1.Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors and generals and soldiers,whereas the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all.
【翻译】出现在历史书上的大部分人都是征服者和将军或者士兵,那些真正推动文明向前发展的人很少被提及。
【分析】本句是一个并列句,前面半句中有一个定语从句who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books修饰先行词people,whereas引导的是一个表示转折关系的并列连词。
2.That is what the story of mankind has on the whole been like.
【翻译】那就是人类的故事在整体上的样子。
【分析】本句中含有一个what引导的表语从句,what在这个表语从句中作为介词like的宾语,同时也是引导词。