B

　　When you think of the tremendous technological progress we have made, it’s amazing how little we have developed in other respects. We may speak contemptuously of the poor old Romans because they relished the orgies of slaughter that went on in their arenas. We may despise them because they mistook these goings?on for entertainment. We may forgive them condescendingly because they lived 2000 years ago and obviously knew no better. But are our feelings of superiority really justified? Are we any less bloodthirsty? Why do boxing matches, for instance, attract such universal interest? Don’t the spectators who attend them hope they will see some violence? Human beings remain as bloodthirsty as ever they were. The only difference between ourselves and the Romans is that while they were honest enough to admit that they enjoyed watching hungry lions tearing people apart and eating them alive, we find all sorts of sophisticated arguments to defend sports which should have been banned long ago; sports which are quite as barbarous as, say, public hangings or bearbaiting.

　　It really is incredible that in this day and age we should still allow hunting or bull?fighting, that we [此資料轉(zhuǎn)貼于ＧＺＵ５２１學(xué)習(xí)網(wǎng) ]ｗww.Ｇzu５21.ｃom should be prepared to sit back and watch two men batter each other to pulp in a boxing ring, that we should be relatively unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames. Let us not deceive ourselves. Any talk of “the sporting spirit” is sheer hypocrisy. People take part in violent sports because of the high rewards they bring. Spectators are willing to pay vast sums of money to see violence. A world heavyweight championship match, for instance, is front?page news. Millions of people are disappointed if a big fight is over in two rounds instead of fifteen. They feel disappointment because they have been deprived of the exquisite pleasure of witnessing prolonged torture and violence.

　　Why should we ban violent sports if people enjoy them so much? You may well ask. The answer is simple: they are uncivilized. For centuries man has been trying to improve himself spiritually and emotionally—admittedly with little success. But at least we no longer tolerate the sight of madmen being cooped up in cages, or public floggings of any of the countless other barbaric practices which were common in the past. Prisons are no longer the grim forbidding places they used to be. Social welfare systems are in operation in many parts of the world. Big efforts are being made to distribute wealth fairly. These changes have come about not because human beings have suddenly and unaccountably improved, but because positive steps were taken to change the law. The law is the biggest instrument of social change that we have and it may exert great civilizing influence. If we banned dangerous and violent sports, we would be moving one step further to improving mankind. We would recognize that violence is degrading and unworthy of human beings.

　　41. It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s opinion of nowadays’ human beings is .

　　A. not very high B. high

　　C. contemptuous D. critical

　　42. The main idea of this passage is .

　　A. that vicious and dangerous sports should be banned by law

　　B. that people are willing to pay vast sums money to see violence

　　C. to compare two different attitudes towards dangerous sports

　　D. people are bloodthirsty in sports

　　43. The author mentions the old Romans .

　　A. to compare the old Romans with today’s people

　　B. to give an example

　　C. to show human beings in the past knew nothing better

　　D. to indicate human beings used to be bloodthirsty

　　44. How many dangerous sports does the author mention in this passage?

　　A. Three. B. Five.

　　C. Six. D. Seven.

　　45. The purpose of the author in writing this passage is .

　　A. that, by banning the violent sports, we human beings can improve ourselves

　　B. that, by banning the dangerous sports, we can improve the law

　　C. that we must take positive steps to improve social welfare system

　　D. to show law is the main instrument of social change

　　C

　　When I was looking for a Christmas present for my daughter in a toy store, a nicely dressed little girl, with some money in her little hand, was looking at some beautiful dolls. When she saw a doll she liked, she would ask her father if she had enough money. He usually said yes.

　　At the same time, a boy, with old and small clothes, was looking at some video games. He, too, had money in his hand, but it looked no more than five dollars. Each time he picked up one of the video games and looked at his father, he shook his head.

　　The little girl had chosen her doll, a very beautiful one. However, she noticed the boy and his father. She saw the boy give up a video game with disappointment(失望) and walk to another corner of the store.

　　The little girl put her doll back to the shelf and ran over to the video game. After she talked to her father, she paid for the video game and whispered(耳語) to the shop assistant.

　　So the boy got the video game that he wanted for free—he was told it was a prize from the store. He smiled happily, although he felt it was so incredible.

　　The girl saw all this happen. She smiled, too.

　　When I walked out of the store to my car, I heard the father ask his daughter why she had done that. I would never forget their short talk. “Daddy, didn’t Grandma want me to buy something that would make me happy?”

　　He said, “Of course, she did.”

　　“Well, I just did!” With that, the little girl started skipping(蹦跳) towards their car happily.

　　46. The story happened in a .

　　A. school B. toy store

　　C. cinema D. computer room

　　47. The boy .

　　A. wore new and nice clothes B. had much money in his hand

　　C. was from a poor family D. wanted to get a doll very much

　　48. The underlined word “incredible” most probably means “” in Chinese.

　　A. 難以置信的 B. 令人興奮的

　　C. 感到絕望的D. 荒謬可笑的

　　49. Which of the following is TRUE according to the story?

　　A. The little girl was kind and helpful.

　　B. The video game was a prize from the store.

　　C. The writer paid for the video game for the boy.

　　D. The boy bought the video game himself from the store.

　　50. What does the sentence “Well, I just did!” mean?

　　A. I just did something for the boy and he would be happy.

　　B. I just bought a nice doll for myself and I would be happy.

　　C. I just bought a present for Grandma and she would be happy.

　　D. I just did something for the boy and it would make me happy.