英语100篇精读荟萃（中级篇）1

Passage One (Violence Can Do Nothing to Diminish Race Prejudice)
    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 brute¹ force; there are countries where the black man protests by setting fire to cities and by looting and pillaging². 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 legitimate³ solution, like any other. What is really frightening, what really fills you with despair, is the realization⁴ that when it comes to the crunch⁵, 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 dismally⁶ contemplate⁷ the smoking ruins and wonder what hit us.
    The truly reasonable men who know where the solutions lie are finding it harder and herder to get a hearing. They are despised, mistrusted and even persecuted⁸ by their own kind because they advocate such apparently⁹ outrageous¹⁰ 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 fulfill¹¹ the ideals of a stable social programme. The benefits that can be derived¹² from constructive¹³ solutions are everywhere apparent in the world around us. Genuine and lasting¹⁴ 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 painstakingly¹⁵ explained his case to the judge. After listening to a lengthy¹⁶ argument the judge complained that after all this talk, he was none the wiser. ‘Possible, my lord,’ the barrister replied, ‘none the wiser, but surely far better informed.’ Knowledge is the necessary prerequisite¹⁷ to wisdom: the knowledge that violence creates the evils it pretends to solve.

1.    What is the best title for this passage?
[A] Advocating Violence.
[B] Violence Can Do Nothing to Diminish Race Prejudice.
[C] Important People on Both Sides See Violence As a Legitimate Solution.
[D] The Instincts of Human Race Are Thirsty for Violence.
2.    Recorded history has taught us
[A] violence never solves anything.
[B] nothing.
[C] the bloodshed means nothing.
[D] everything.
3.    It can be inferred that truly reasonable men
[A] can’t get a hearing.
[B] are looked down upon.
[C] are persecuted.
[D] Have difficulty in advocating law enforcement.
4.    “He was none the wiser” means
[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.
5.    According the author the best way to solve race prejudice is
[A] law enforcement.
[B] knowledge.
[C] nonviolence.
[D] Mopping up the violent mess.

Vocabulary
1.    acute            严重的，2.    剧烈的，3.    敏锐的
4.    loot            v.抢劫，5.    掠夺；n.赃物
6.    pillage        v.抢劫，7.    掠夺
8.    crunch        v.吱嘎吱嘎咬或嚼某物；n.碎裂声
when it comes to the crunch = if/when the decisive moment comes. 当关键时刻来到时。
9.    war-paint        出战前涂于身上的颜料。（美印第安战士用）
10.    come to light = become known    显露，11.    为人所知
12.    sap            剥削，13.    使伤元气，14.    破坏
I was sapped by months of hospital treatment. 我住院治疗几个月，15.    大伤元气。
16.    mop up        擦去，17.    对付，18.    处理
19.    wake            船迹，20.    航迹
in the wake of sth. = come after 随某事之后到来。