考博輔導資料:考博英語閱讀理解第四講
Passage 4
The phrase "civil disobedience" is usually attributed to the nineteenth-century American philosopher Henry David Thoreau. Although the concept is unquestionably much older (its roots
lie in ancient Greek philosophy), the designation is nonetheless telling: people tend to credit Thoreau, an American, with the idea because civil disobedience, is a hallmark of American eth- ics and politics. The clash between the dictates of individual conscience on one hand, and the imperatives of civil law on the other, forms much of this country's history. Examples range from the incidents leading up to the Revolution through the many social protests of the 1960'S.
What constitutes an act of civil disobedience? First, an act of civil disobedience requires a formal legal structure that is enforced by the government. Second, it requires as its target a specific law or policy, rather than the entire legal system. This is true even if the protester's ul- timate goal is to alter radically the legal system; an act of civil disobedience must be directed against one concrete example of that system's inequities. The American civil rights movement, for example, first targeted discrimination on public transportation, then used its victories as a springboard to address other injustices. Third, the act must be done publicly, because the ef- fectiveness of such a protest depends on its ability to mobilize public sentiment against the protest's target. Finally, those protesting must understand the penalties their acts entail——us-ually jailing——and be willing to accept those penalties. This last requirement strengthens the act's effect on public opinion, since it serves to underscore the injustice of the protest's target.
21. The word "telling" in the 2nd sentence in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _____.
A) inappropriate
B) revealing
C) insignificant
D) challenging
22. In the passage,the author mentions that the civil rights movement _______.
A) focused its early efforts on public transportation
B) did not always practice civil disobedience
C) started in nineteenth century
D) used the Revolution of 1776 as its model
23. According to the passage, for which of the following reasons should civil protests be donepublicly?
A) To alter the legal system in radical way.
B) To uphold the imperatives of civil law.
C) To stimulate public support for a cause.
D) To announce the success of a previous act of civil disobedience.
24. The author suggests that when protesters go to jail _______.
A) it helps convince the public to support their cause
B) they usually do so unwillingly
C) it is because their protest has not gone according to plan
D) they are always released almost immediately
25. In the 2nd paragraph, the author ________.
A) argues that civil disobedience is unnecessary
B) provides an extensive history of civil disobedience
C) presents several differing viewpoints on civil disobedience
D) defines the concept of civil disobedience
Passage4
文章大意:
這篇文章一開始用著名哲學家梭羅引入“非暴力抵抗”這個概念。雖然這是一個古老的名詞,但是它說明人們是想向梭羅表達敬意,因為“非暴力抵抗”一直是美國道德和政治的一個標志性的詞語。在第二段中作者解釋了什么行為是非暴力抵抗。首先,要求有由政府強制實施的正式法律體系。其次,這種行為針對的是某一個特定的法律或政策,而不是整個法律體系。第三,這種行為必須是公開的,因為它的有效性正是依靠激發(fā)民眾的情緒。最后,抗議者必須理解他們的行為可能帶來的懲罰,通常是坐牢,并且愿意接受這樣的懲罰。
答案解析:
[21)B第一段第二句說明雖然這個概念由來已久,但是這種指示卻能說明問題:人們是在贊揚梭羅,因為這個詞一直是美國倫理和政治的標志性詞語。
[22]A第二段第五句表明美國公民權(quán)運動在早期是針對公共交通方面存在的歧視。
[23]C第二段第六句表明這種抗議的效果主要是動員(mobilize)公眾反對抗議的目標。
[24]A第二段最后兩句說明抗議者必須明白他們的行為可能帶來的懲罰,經(jīng)常是坐牢。而且要愿意接受這種懲罰。這一點更增強了對公眾的影響,使人們更加支持他們?nèi)シ磳棺h的目標。
[25]D第二段用設(shè)問句開始,下面分四點回答了什么是“非暴力抵抗”。