閱讀理解 專項練習與答案精講 一

（一）Vicious and Dangerous Sports Should be Banned by Law

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 blood-thirsty? 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 remains 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 age; 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 bullfighting, that we 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 madmen 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.

1. 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

2. The main idea of this passage is________.

A. vicious and dangerous sports should be banned by law

B. 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

3. That the author mentions the old Romans is________.

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

B. to give an example

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

D. to indicate human beings are used to bloodthirsty

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

A. Three.

B. Five.

C. Six.

D. Seven.

5. 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

［高頻考點］

考點1：推理題；

考點2：主旨題；

考點3：細節(jié)信息的查找。

［主旨大意］

作者采取先對比、后分析的寫作手法。

先是說今人和古羅馬人都欣賞暴力體育。后者坦率承認“欣賞暴力體育”，前者以各種借口為暴力體育辯護。

第二段進一步剖析今人欣賞暴力體育的種種實例，第三段指出應禁止暴力體育，方法是以法律途徑予以規(guī)制。

［長難句結(jié)構(gòu)解析］

It really is incredible that in this day and age we should still allow hunting or bullfighting, that we 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.

（1）主體句式為It really is incredible that...。

（2）incredible后接三個并列的表語從句。

（3）參考譯文：在當今時代，我們還允許狩獵或者斗牛；眼睜睜地看著兩個人在拳擊場內(nèi)彼此狠揍，直到一個人被打倒在地，爬不起來；眼見一輛或多輛賽車相互撞擊，突然燒起來而無動于衷，真令人難以置信。

［答案解析］

1．A。［解析］推理。第二段舉出具體例子證明人的卑下、不文明。這似乎證明作者的觀點應該是C項“蔑視的”。但在第三段談及好幾個世紀以來，人們一直試圖在精神上和情感上改善自己。從這段來看，作者對人類還抱有希望，不是很蔑視。所以選A項。

2．A。［解析］主旨題。從文章標題和全文內(nèi)容可以看出，作者從古羅馬人欣賞殘忍的體育項目說起，點出現(xiàn)代人也是嗜血成性，喜歡暴力體育項目。這是不文明，是墮落。必須制止，而法律是我們社會改革最強大的工具。

3．D。［解析］細節(jié)考查題。人們在體育上習慣于“嗜血成性”，過去是，現(xiàn)在仍然是，不同點只是前者坦直承認，后者婉轉(zhuǎn)掩飾。

4．B。［解析］細節(jié)考查題。作者提到逗熊游戲、斗牛、車賽、拳擊、人獅斗五個活動。注意當眾鞭撻和絞刑不能稱做體育活動。故正確答案為B。

5．A。［解析］主旨題。參見第三段：通過制止野蠻體育項目，我們能改善人類自身。選項A與此相符合，故正確答案為A。