题干

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.
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同类题1

   Britons are well known for the amount of tea that they drink. The average person in the UK consumes around 1.9 kg of tea yearly. That’s around 876 cups of tea. Tea is drunk by all sections of society. But tea is not native to Britain. Most tea is grown in India and China. So, how did it become an important part of British culture?

Tea arrived in London in the 1600s. At this time, British ships were exploring (探索) the world and came across the drink in China. It was not long before green tea was available to buy. However, this was only available to the richer sections of society.

At the beginning of the 1700s, the amount of tea arriving in Britain increased gradually. Black tea arrived at this time. At first people drank this tea exactly as it was in China. They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar, giving the drink a special British characteristic (特色).

In the 1800s tea was still a product enjoyed only by people with money. At this time they began to have “afternoon tea”. This involves drinking tea with a snack around 4 pm to avoid feeling hungry between lunch and dinner. It is a tradition that is still going today but has become less popular in recent times.

In the late 1800s, the price of tea decreased sharply as more tea began to arrive on ships from India and China. It was no longer a drink just for rich people. Tearooms — shops where you could buy and drink tea — started to appear across the country. People enjoyed drinking tea and socialising (交际) in these places. At the start of the 20th century, Britons began to make tea in their homes whenever they felt like it. Kettles became necessary in every kitchen.

【小题1】How does the passage mainly develop?
A.By providing examples.B.By making comparisons.
C.By following the order of time.D.By following the order of importance.
【小题2】According to the passage, what is the British characteristic of tea?
A.Green tea.B.Black tea.
C.Tea with a little milk and sugar.D.Afternoon tea with a snack.
【小题3】The underlined word “decreased” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “________”.
A.went upB.took off
C.fell offD.came out
【小题4】When was tea a necessity for ordinary people in Britain?
A.In the 1600s.B.In the 1800s.
C.In the late 1800s.D.At the start of the 20th century.

同类题3

   The newspaper has been a part of our daily life for several centuries. It has been a way for the public to be informed of _____ events that are occurring around the world. Newspapers have _____ great changes over the course of history. Some of the _____ newspapers date back to Ancient Rome where important announcements (公告) were carved in stones and placed in highly populated areas, _____ in this way citizens could be informed of the announcements.

For centuries, many changes have _____ The biggest one was the use of the printing press. This change _____ the production of the newspaper, and the number of papers available to the public greatly increase    D. At the same time the change made it _____ for people to purchase one. These developments led to a (n) _____ in the newspaper industry where several different newspapers started to appear in big _____ , publishing morning, afternoon and evening editions. These papers ______ readers news, the weather and other features that informed and ______ them.

Over the course of time, however, newspaper costs continued to rise and the number of newspaper buyers continued to ______ This led to a vast reduction in the number of newspapers and newspaper editions at every market. ______ , with the increase in the use of ______ , the public no longer needed the newspaper for its source of ______ Other media such as radio, television and the Internet started to ______ the paper as an information source.

In recent years, newspapers and other media have ______ to the changing technology environment by starting to offer ______ editions to cater to (满足需要) the needs of the public. In the future, more ______ will be surely paid to the Internet, social media and other electronic methods. However, the newspaper and the industry ______ have a place in the world.

【小题1】
A.interestingB.importantC.strangeD.political
【小题2】
A.experiencedB.createdC.sufferedD.escaped
【小题3】
A.best-knownB.nicestC.earliestD.simplest
【小题4】
A.unlessB.sinceC.onceD.though
【小题5】
A.come byB.made upC.broken outD.taken place
【小题6】
A.sped upB.put upC.ended upD.took up
【小题7】
A.respectableB.fashionableC.agreeableD.affordable
【小题8】
A.silenceB.pauseC.boomD.arrival
【小题9】
A.citiesB.familiesC.villagesD.factories
【小题10】
A.providedB.offeredC.publishedD.advertised
【小题11】
A.describedB.satisfiedC.motivatedD.followed
【小题12】
A.failB.leaveC.formD.fall
【小题13】
A.After allB.For sureC.At lastD.In addition
【小题14】
A.technologiesB.computersC.televisionsD.telephones
【小题15】
A.knowledgeB.informationC.pleasureD.ability
【小题16】
A.copyB.matchC.replaceD.regard
【小题17】
A.adaptedB.adoptedC.opposedD.agreed
【小题18】
A.latestB.traditionalC.modernD.online
【小题19】
A.moneyB.attentionC.energyD.time
【小题20】
A.stillB.neitherC.againD.even