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
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 is really incredible that in this day and age we should still allow hunting or bull-fighting, 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 heavy-weight 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.
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
Fears of "mad cow" disease spread (1) the globe last week (2) South Africa, New Zealand and Singapore joining most of Britain’ s European Union partners in (3) imports of British beef. In London, steak restaurants were empty follwing the March 20 announcement by scientists that they had found a (4) link between mad cow disease from British beef and its human (5) , Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease(CJD) .
Efforts to reassure consumers and governments proved (6) . France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Greece were among countries which announced bans (7) British beef shipments.
A committee of EU veterinary experts, meeting in Brussels, (8) new protective measures but said transmission of the disease from cattle to humans was unproven and did not (9) a general ban on British beef exports. Britain’s own main consumer group advised people to (10) beef if they wanted to be absolutely sure of not (11) CJD which destroys the brain and is always (12) .
"Could it be worse than AIDS"
The stark headline in Friday’s Daily mail newspaper encapsulated the fear and uncertainty (13) Britain. CJD (14) humans in the same way that BSE makes cows mad—by eating away nerve cells in the brain (15) it looks like a spongy Swiss cheese.
The disease is incurable. Victims show (16) of dementia and memory loss and usually die (17) six months.
Little is known (18) sure about the group of diseases known collectively as spongiform encephalopathies, which explains (19) some eminent scientists are not prepared to (20) a human epidemic of AIDS-like proportions.
A:accepting B:banning C:cancelling D:allowing
Fears of "mad cow" disease spread (1) the globe last week (2) South Africa, New Zealand and Singapore joining most of Britain’ s European Union partners in (3) imports of British beef. In London, steak restaurants were empty follwing the March 20 announcement by scientists that they had found a (4) link between mad cow disease from British beef and its human (5) , Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease(CJD) .
Efforts to reassure consumers and governments proved (6) . France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Greece were among countries which announced bans (7) British beef shipments.
A committee of EU veterinary experts, meeting in Brussels, (8) new protective measures but said transmission of the disease from cattle to humans was unproven and did not (9) a general ban on British beef exports. Britain’s own main consumer group advised people to (10) beef if they wanted to be absolutely sure of not (11) CJD which destroys the brain and is always (12) .
"Could it be worse than AIDS"
The stark headline in Friday’s Daily mail newspaper encapsulated the fear and uncertainty (13) Britain. CJD (14) humans in the same way that BSE makes cows mad—by eating away nerve cells in the brain (15) it looks like a spongy Swiss cheese.
The disease is incurable. Victims show (16) of dementia and memory loss and usually die (17) six months.
Little is known (18) sure about the group of diseases known collectively as spongiform encephalopathies, which explains (19) some eminent scientists are not prepared to (20) a human epidemic of AIDS-like proportions.
A:accepting B:banning C:cancelling D:allowing
Regardless of their political affiliation, in all countries women must overcome a host of stumbling blocks that limit their political careers. "Most obstacles to progress consist of (1) of various kinds," says the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a Geneva-based organization (2) 139 parliaments, including the lack of time, training, information, self-confidence, money, support, motivation, women’s networks and solidarity between women.
In every culture, prejudice and stereotypes (3) hard. The belief still holds (4) that women belong in the kitchen and (5) the children, not at election (6) or in the Speaker’s chair. The media often reinforce traditional images of women, who, upon entering politics, also bear the brunt (正面冲击) of verbal and physical (7) .
In impoverished (贫穷的) countries (8) by civil conflicts and deteriorating economic and social conditions, women are (9) by the tasks of managing everyday life and looking after their families.
The IPU stresses the general lack of child-care facilities—often (10) a privileged few—the (11) of political parties to change the times and running of meetings and the weak backing women receive from their families. That support, which is (12) as well as financial, is (13) vital because women have internalized (14) images of themselves since the (15) of time and often suffer from low self-confidence.
Another obstacle is the lack of financial resources, especially as election campaigns become increasingly expensive. (16) , women encounter more or less open machismo (男子汉的高傲) in the (17) of closed political circles (18) entry to the "second sex. " Lastly, they (19) the lack of solidarity between women, (20) by the fact that the number of available positions is limited.
A:inspiring B:barring C:disapproving D:banning
Fears of "mad cow" disease spread
(1) the globe last week (2) South
Africa, New Zealand and Singapore joining most of Britain’ s European Union
partners in (3) imports of British beef. In London, steak
restaurants were empty follwing the March 20 announcement by scientists that
they had found a (4) link between mad cow disease from
British beef and its human (5) , Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease(CJD) . Efforts to reassure consumers and governments proved (6) . France, Germany, Italy, Finland and Greece were among countries which announced bans (7) British beef shipments. A committee of EU veterinary experts, meeting in Brussels, (8) new protective measures but said transmission of the disease from cattle to humans was unproven and did not (9) a general ban on British beef exports. Britain’s own main consumer group advised people to (10) beef if they wanted to be absolutely sure of not (11) CJD which destroys the brain and is always (12) . "Could it be worse than AIDS" The stark headline in Friday’s Daily mail newspaper encapsulated the fear and uncertainty (13) Britain. CJD (14) humans in the same way that BSE makes cows mad—by eating away nerve cells in the brain (15) it looks like a spongy Swiss cheese. The disease is incurable. Victims show (16) of dementia and memory loss and usually die (17) six months. Little is known (18) sure about the group of diseases known collectively as spongiform encephalopathies, which explains (19) some eminent scientists are not prepared to (20) a human epidemic of AIDS-like proportions. |
A:accepting B:banning C:cancelling D:allowing
Regardless of their political affiliation, in all countries women must overcome a host of stumbling blocks that limit their political careers. "Most obstacles to progress consist of (1) of various kinds," says the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a Geneva-based organization (2) 139 parliaments, including the lack of time, training, information, self-confidence, money, support, motivation, women’s networks and solidarity between women.
In every culture, prejudice and stereotypes (3) hard. The belief still holds (4) that women belong in the kitchen and (5) the children, not at election (6) or in the Speaker’s chair. The media often reinforce traditional images of women, who, upon entering politics, also bear the brunt (正面冲击) of verbal and physical (7) .
In impoverished (贫穷的) countries (8) by civil conflicts and deteriorating economic and social conditions, women are (9) by the tasks of managing everyday life and looking after their families.
The IPU stresses the general lack of child-care facilities—often (10) a privileged few—the (11) of political parties to change the times and running of meetings and the weak backing women receive from their families. That support, which is (12) as well as financial, is (13) vital because women have internalized (14) images of themselves since the (15) of time and often suffer from low self-confidence.
Another obstacle is the lack of financial resources, especially as election campaigns become increasingly expensive. (16) , women encounter more or less open machismo (男子汉的高傲) in the (17) of closed political circles (18) entry to the "second sex. " Lastly, they (19) the lack of solidarity between women, (20) by the fact that the number of available positions is limited.
A:inspiring B:barring C:disapproving D:banning
My Space and other Web sites have unleashed a potent new phenomenon of social networking in cyberspace, (1) at the same time, a growing body of evidence is suggesting that traditional social (2) play a surprisingly powerful and under-recognized role in influencing how people behave.
The latest research comes from Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis, at the Harvard Medical School, and Dr. James H. Fowler, at the University of California at San Diego. The (3) reported last summer that obesity appeared to (4) from one person to another (5) social networks, almost like a virus or a fad. In a follow-up to that provocative research, the team has produced (6) findings about another major health (7) : smoking. In a study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, the team found that a person’s decision to (8) the habit is strongly affected by (9) other people in their social network quit—even people they do not know. And, surprisingly, entire networks of smokers appear to quit virtually (10)
For (11) of their studies, they (12) of detailed records kept between 1971 and 2003 about 5,124 people who participated in the landmark Framingham Heart Study. Because many of the subjects had ties to the Boston suburb of Framingham, Mass. , many of the participants were (13) somehow—through spouses, neighbors, friends, co-workers—enabling the researchers to study a network that (14) 12,067 people.
Taken together, these studies are (15) a growing recognition that many behaviors are (16) by social networks in (17) that have not been fully understood. And (18) may be possible, the researchers say, to harness the power of these networks for many (19) , such as encouraging safe sex, getting more people to exercise or even (20) crime.
A:banning B:promoting C:fighting D:committing
My Space and other Web sites have unleashed a potent new phenomenon of social networking in cyberspace, (1) at the same time, a growing body of evidence is suggesting that traditional social (2) play a surprisingly powerful and under-recognized role in influencing how people behave.
The latest research comes from Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis, at the Harvard Medical School, and Dr. James H. Fowler, at the University of California at San Diego. The (3) reported last summer that obesity appeared to (4) from one person to another (5) social networks, almost like a virus or a fad. In a follow-up to that provocative research, the team has produced (6) findings about another major health (7) : smoking. In a study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, the team found that a person’s decision to (8) the habit is strongly affected by (9) other people in their social network quit—even people they do not know. And, surprisingly, entire networks of smokers appear to quit virtually (10)
For (11) of their studies, they (12) of detailed records kept between 1971 and 2003 about 5,124 people who participated in the landmark Framingham Heart Study. Because many of the subjects had ties to the Boston suburb of Framingham, Mass. , many of the participants were (13) somehow—through spouses, neighbors, friends, co-workers—enabling the researchers to study a network that (14) 12,067 people.
Taken together, these studies are (15) a growing recognition that many behaviors are (16) by social networks in (17) that have not been fully understood. And (18) may be possible, the researchers say, to harness the power of these networks for many (19) , such as encouraging safe sex, getting more people to exercise or even (20) crime.
A:banning B:promoting C:fighting D:committing
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