D
Freedom and Responsibility
Freedom’s challenge in the Digital Age is a serious topic. We are facing today a strange new world and we are all wondering what we are going to do with it.
Some 2,500 years ago Greece discovered freedom. Before that there was no freedom. There were great civilizations, splendid empires, but no freedom anywhere. Egypt and Babylon were both tyrannies ,  one very powerful man ruling over helpless masses.
In Greece, in Athens (雅典), a little city in a little country, there were no helpless masses. And Athenians willingly obeyed the written laws which they themselves passed, and the unwritten, which must be obeyed if free men live together. They must show each other kindness and pity and the many qualities without which life would be very painful unless one chose to live alone in the desert.The Athenians never thought that a man was free if he could do what he wanted. A man was free if he was self-controlled. To make yourself obey what you approved was freedom. They were saved from looking at their lives as their own private affair. Each one felt responsible for the welfare of Athens, not because it was forced on him from the outside, but because the city was his pride and his safety. The essential belief of the first free government in the world was liberty for all men who could control themselves and would take responsibility for the state.
But discovering freedom is not like discovering computers. It cannot be discovered once for all. If people do not prize it, and work for it, it will go. Constant watch is its price. Athens changed. It was a change that took place without being noticed though it was of the extreme importance, a spiritual change which affected the whole state. It had been the Athenian’ s pride and joy to give to their city. That they could get material benefits from her never entered their minds. There had to be a complete change of attitude before they could look at the city as an employer who paid her citizens for doing her work. Now instead of men giving to the state, the state was to give to them. What the people wanted was a government which would provide a comfortable life for them; and with this as the primary object, ideas of freedom and self-reliance and responsibility were neglected to the point of disappearing. Athens was more and more looked on as a cooperative business possessed of great wealth in which all citizens had a right to share.
Athens reached the point when the freedom she really wanted was freedom from responsibility. There could be only one result. If men insisted on being free from the burden of self-dependence and responsibility for the common good, they would cease to be free. Responsibility is the price every man must pay for freedom. It is to be had on no other terms. Athens, the Athens of Ancient Greece, refused responsibility; she reached the end of freedom and was never to have it again. But, “the excellent becomes the permanent”, Aristotle said. Athens lost freedom forever, but freedom was not lost forever for the world. A great American, James Madison, referred to: “The capacity (能力) of mankind for self-government.” No doubt he had not an idea that he was speaking Greek. Athens was not in the farthest background of his mind, but once man has a great and good idea, it is never completely lost. The Digital Age cannot destroy it. Somehow in this or that man’s thought such an idea lives though unconsidered by the world of action. One can never be sure that it is not on the point of breaking out into action only sure that it will do so sometime.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “tyrannies” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Countries where their people need help.

B．Powerful states with higher civilization.

C．Splendid empires where people enjoy freedom.

D．Governments ruled with absolute power.

【小题2】People believing in freedom are those who________ .

A．regard their life as their own business

B．seek gains as their primary object

C．behave within the laws and value systems

D．treat others with kindness and pity

【小题3】What change in attitude took place in Athens?

A．The Athenians refused to take their responsibility.

B．The Athenians no longer took pride in the city.

C．The Athenians benefited spiritually from the government.

D．The Athenians looked on the government as a business.

【小题4】What does the sentence “There could be only one result.” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Athens would continue to be free.

B．Athens would cease to have freedom.

C．Freedom would come from responsibility.

D．Freedom would stop Athens from self-dependence.

【小题5】Why does the author refer to Aristotle and Madison?

A．The author is hopeful about freedom.

B．The author is cautious about self-government.

C．The author is skeptical of Greek civilization.

D．The author is proud of man’s capacity.

【小题6】What is the author’s understanding of freedom?

A．Freedom can be more popular in the digital age.

B．Freedom may come to an end in the digital age.

C．Freedom should have priority over responsibility.

D．Freedom needs to be guaranteed by responsibility.

语法填空

The Dujiangyan is the oldest man-made water system in the world, and a wonder in the development of Chinese agriculture. 【小题1】（build）over 2,200 years ago in what is now Sichuan Province in Southwest China, this amazing engineering 【小题2】（achieve）is still used today.

In ancient times, the region where Dujiangyan now stands 【小题3】（suffer）from regular floods from the Minjiang River. 【小题4】（help）the victims of the flooding, Li Bing, 【小题5】 region governor, together with his son, decided to find a solution. Li designed a series of channels built at different levels along Mount Yulei that would take away the floodwaters while leaving the river flowing naturally. 【小题6】（good）still, the extra water could be directed to the dry Chengdu Plain, making 【小题7】 suitable for farming.

Once the system 【小题8】（finish）, no more floods happened and the people were able to live 【小题9】（peaceful）. Today, Dujiangyan is admired by scientists from around the world because of one feature. Unlike modern dams, 【小题10】 the water is blocked with a huge wall, Dujiangyan still lets waterflow through the Minjiang River naturally, making the ecosystem（生态系统）and fish populations exist in peace.

语法填空

There are many 【小题1】（think）on the origins（起因）of civilization. One of the major factors involved 【小题2】（be）the increase in population. The development of techniques，mainly irrigation and flood control resulted in agriculture in special areas，【小题3】（make） it possible to feed the growing population. Once populations reached 【小题4】 certain number，the old pattern of social organizations broke down and new ones developed.

【小题5】（early）civilization developed in the Middle East. This was the Bronze Age of the Old World，during 【小题6】 people first developed the art of metallurgy（冶金术）.Civilization also developed 【小题7】（independent）in the New World，such as Mexico，Peru and their 【小题8】（surround）areas.

The Bronze Age 【小题9】（follow）by the Iron Age，which saw the rise and fall of great empires and the shift of power from the Middle East to Greece and Rome and then to Western Europe. 【小题10】 the 1770s the Industrial Age developed，which led directly to modern civilization.

   The Parthenon（帕特农神庙）in Athens is a building with a long and complex history. Built nearly 2，500 years ago as a temple celebrating the Greek goddess Athena，it was for thousands of years the church of the Virgin Mary of the Athenians，then a mosque（清真寺），and finally a ruin. The building was changed and the sculptures were much damaged over the centuries. By 1800 only about half of the original sculptural decorations remained.

Between 1801 and 1805，Lord Elgin，the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire（奥斯曼帝国），who controlled Athens，acting with the full knowledge and permission of the Ottoman authorities，removed about half of the remaining sculptures from the fallen ruins and from the building itself. Lord Elgin loved Greek history and carried the sculptures back to Britain. The arrival of the sculptures in London had a huge effect on the European public，greatly increasing interest in ancient Greek culture and influencing the present artistic tendency. These sculptures were gained from Lord Elgin by the British Museum in 1816 and since then they have all been on show to the public，free of charge.

Since the early 1980s，however，the Greek government has argued for the return of all the Parthenon sculptures in the British Museum. They have also challenged the Board of Trustees of the British Museum's legal（合法的）title to the sculptures.

The British Museum，however，insists that it exists to tell the story of cultural achievement throughout the world，from the dawn of human history over two million years ago to the present day. The museum considers itself an important resource for the world: the breadth and depth of its collection allow the world public to reexamine cultural identities（身份）and explore the complex network of interconnected world cultures.

It also says that，within the context of this unparalleled collection，the Parthenon sculptures are an important representation of ancient Athenian civilization. Each year millions of visitors admire the artistry of the sculptures and gain insights on how ancient Greece influenced — and was influenced by — the other civilizations that it came across.

【小题1】What can we infer from the passage？

A．The sculptures introduced ancient Greek culture to the west.

B．Ancient Greek culture has greatly influenced world culture.

C．The British Museum has made much money from the Parthenon sculptures.

D．The British Museum is the most suitable place to protect these sculptures.

【小题2】What can we learn about Lord Elgin from the passage?

A．He is greatly admired in Greece.

B．He worked for the Ottoman Empire.

C．He saved the Parthenon sculptures from being destroyed.

D．He had a deep interest in Greek culture.

【小题3】What's the author's main purpose in writing this passage?

A．To tell the history of the Parthenon and its sculptures.

B．To tell what people can see in the British Museum.

C．To tell why the British Museum refuses to return the sculptures.

D．To tell the influence of Greece on British culture.

语法填空

A hutong is an ancient city alley or lane typically in Beijing.【小题1】（ surround） the Forbidden City, many were built during the Yuan , Ming and Qing dynasties【小题2】the government planned the city and arranged the【小题3】（resident） areas according to the etiquette（礼仪） systems.【小题4】center of the city of Beijing was the royal palace——the Forbidden City.

At the end of the Qing dynasty, China【小题5】（come） under the influence from abroad , and many old hutongs lost【小题6】（they） former neat arrangement.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, hutongs' conditions were improved. But in recent years, the houses in many hutongs【小题7】（pull）down and replaced by modern【小题8】  （building）. The hutong today is fading into the shade for both tourists and inhabitants.

However, in the urban district, hutongs still occupy one【小题9】（three） of the total area , providing housing for half the population , so many hutongs have survived. In this respect, we see Beijing【小题10】an ancient yet modern city.