北京外国语大学基础英语试卷

北京外国语1998年基础英语试卷Readthefollowingpassage:ARCHIBALDMACLEISH:BicentennialofWhat?AnaddressattheBicentennialcommemorationoftheAmericanPhilosophicalSocietyinPhiladelphiaItisacommonhumanpracticetoanswerquestionswithouttrulyaskingthemandtheAmericanbicentennialismerelythelatestinstance.EveryoneknowswhattheBicentennialcelebrates:the200thanniversaryoftheadoption,bytheContinentalCongress,oftheDeclarationofIndependence.ButnooneaskswhattheBicentennialisbecausenooneaskswhattheDeclarationwas.TheinstrumentofannouncingAmericanindependencefromGreatBritain?Clearlythat:butisthatallitwas?IsitonlyAmericanindependencefromGreatBritainwearecelebratingonJuly4,1976——onlytheinstrumentwhichdeclaredourindependence?TherehavebeenotherdeclarationsofunilateralindependencefromGreatBritainwhichnooneislikelytorememberfor200years,muchlesstocelebrate.“Allmen”aresaidinthatdocumenttobecreatedequalandtohavebeenendowedwithcertainunalienablerights.Allgovernmentsareallegedtohavebeeninstitutedamongmentosecurethoserights——toprotectthem.Arethese,then,Americanrights?Doubtless——butonlyAmerican?IsittheBritishGovernmentwhichisdeclaredtohaveviolatedthem?Unquestionably——buttheBritishGovernmentalone?Andtherevolutionagainsttyrannyandarrogancewhichishereimplied——isitarevolutionwhichAmericanindependencefromthemediocremajestyofGeorgeIIIwillwinoristheresomethingmoreintended?——somethingforallmankind?——foralltheworld?Intheolddayswhencollegeundergraduatesstillreadhistory,anyundergraduatecouldhavetoldyouthatthesearenotrhetoricalquestions:thattheywere,fromthebeginning,twoopinionsabouttheDeclarationandthattheywereheldby(amongothers)thetwogreatmenwhohadmosttodowithitscompositionanditsadoptionbytheCongress.JohnAdams,whosupportedtheDeclarationwithallhisformidablepowers,inclinedtotheviewthatitwasjustwhatiscalleditself:adeclarationofAmericanindependence.ThomasJefferson,whowroteit,heldtheoppositeopinion:itwasarevolutionaryproclamationapplicabletoallmankind.“Mayitbetheworld”,hewrotetothecitizensofWashingtonafewdaysbeforehedied,“whatIbelieveitwillbe:tosomepartssooner,tootherslater,butfinallytoall,thesignalofarousingmentoburstthechains…”Andhewentoninreverberatingwords:“Themassofmankindhasnotbeenbornwithsaddlesontheirbacksforafavoredfew,bootedandspurred,readytoridethembythegraceofGod.”Moreover,thesetwogreatandfamousmenwerenottheonlyPresidentsoftheRepublictochoosebetweenthealternatives:Athird,asgreataseither,speakinginPhiladelphiaatthedarkestmomentinourhistory——bearingindeedthewholeweightofthathistoryonhisshouldersashespoke——turnedtotheDeclarationforguidanceforhimselfandforhiscountryandmadehischoicebetweenthemeanings.Mr.LincolnhadbeenmakinghiswayslowlyeastwardinFebruary1861fromSpringfieldtoWashingtontotaketheoathofofficeasPresidentofadividedpeopleonthevergeofCivilWar.HehadreachedPhiladelphiaonthe21stofFebruarywherehehadbeentoldoftheconspiracytomurderhiminBaltimoreashepassedthroughthatcity.HehadgonetoIndependenceHallbeforedaylightonthe22nd.Hehadfoundacrowdwaiting.Hehadspokentothem.Hehadoftenaskedhimself.Mr.Lincolnsaid,whatgreatprincipleorideaitwaswhichhadheldthe2Unionsolongtogether.“Itwasnot,”hesaid,asthoughreplyingdirectlytoJohnAdams,“themerematteroftheseparationfromthemothercountry.”Itwassomethingmore.“SomethingintheDeclaration,”theyheardhimsay.“Somethinggivinglibertynotalonetothepeopleofthiscountrybuthopetotheworld.”“Itwasthatwhichgavepromisethatinduetimetheweightsshouldbeliftedfromtheshouldersofallmen.”Anyoneelse,anymodernPresidentcertainly,wouldhavesaid,asmostofthemregularlydo,thathishopeforthecountrywasfixedinhugeexpendituresforarms,inthepossessionofoverwhelmingpower.NotMr.Lincoln.NotMr.Lincolnevenatthatdesperatemoment.Hishopewasfixedinagreataffirmationofbeliefmadealmostacenturybefore.ItwasfixedinthecommitmentoftheAmericanpeople,atthebeginningoftheirhistoryasapeople,to“agreatprincipleoridea”:theprincipleorideaofhumanliberty——ofhumanlibertynotforthemselvesalonebutformankind.ItwasadaringgambleofMr.Lincoln’s——butsotoowasMr.Jefferson’sDeclaration——sowasthecausewhichMr.Jefferson’sDeclarationhaddefined.Couldanationbefoundedonthebeliefinliberty?Couldbeliefinlibertypreserveit?TwoAmericangenerationsarguedthatissuebutnotours——notthegenerationofthecelebrantsofthe200thanniversaryofthatgreatevent.Weassume,Isuppose,thatMr.Jefferson’spolicywasrightforhimandrightforMr.Lincoln,becauseitwassuccessful.ButwhateverwethinkaboutMr.Lincoln’viewoftheDeclaration,whateverwebelieveabouttheDeclarationinthepast,inothermen’slives,inothermen’swars,wedonotaskourselves,aswecelebrateitsBicentennial,whatitistoday,whatitistous.OurpresentPresidenthasneverintimatedbysomuchasawordthatsuchaquestionmightberelevant——thatitevenexists.TheCongresshasnotdebatedit.ThestateandFederalcommissionschargedwithBicentennialresponsibilityexpressnoopinions.Onlythegenerationoftheyoung,sofarasIaminformed,hasevenmentionedit,andthepresentgenerationoftheyounghascertainunderstanbleprejudices,inheritedfromthedisillusionmentsofrecentyears,whichcolortheircomments…Expressyourviewthatthenationbroughtintobeingbyhatgreatdocumentwas,andhadnochoicebutbe,arevolutionarynation,andyouwillberemindedthat,butfortheaccidentaldiscoveryofapieceoftapeonadoorlatch,thePresidentoftheUnitedStatesintheBicentennialyearwouldhavebeenRichardNixon.AndsoitwillgountilyouaretoldatlastthattheAmericanRevolutionisafigureofobsolescentspeech;thattheDeclarationhasbecomeamuseumexhibitintheNationalArchives;andthat,asfortheBicentennial,itisayear-longcommercialwhichoughttobeturnedoff.Well,theindignationoftheyoungisalwaysadmirableregardlessofitsverbalexcesses——farmoreadmirable,certainly,thantheindifferenceoftheelders.But,unfortunately,itistheindifferenceoftheelderswehavetoconsider.Andnotonlybecauseitisapuzzling,aparadoxical,indifferencebutbecauseitisasdisturbingasitisparadoxical.DoesourindifferencetotheexplicitlyrevolutionarypurposeoftheDeclaration－oursilenceaboutMr.Jefferson’sinterpretationofthatpurpose——meanthatwenolongerbelieveinthatpurpose——nolongerbelieveinhumanliberty?Hardly?...Butifthisisso,ifwestillbelieveinthecauseofhumanliberty,whydowecelebratetheanniversaryofthedocumentwhichdefineditforuswithoutathoughtforthemeaningofthedefinition,thenornow?Whyhavewenotheardfromourrepresentativesandourofficialsonhisgreattheme?3Isitbecause,althoughtheRepubliccontinuestobelieveinhumanlibertyforitself,itnolongerhopesforitintheworld?Becauseitnolongerthinkssuchahope“realistic”?...Sofar,indeed,isMr.Jefferson’srevolutionfrombeingobsoletethatitisnowtheonlytrulyrevolutionaryforceintheagewelivein.Andnotdespitethepolicestatesbutbecauseofthem.In1945,whenehaddriventheNazisoutofEuropeandtheJapaneseoutofthePacificinthenameofhumanfreedomandhumandecency,westoodatthepeak,notonlyofourpowerasanationbutofourgreatnessasapeople.Weweremorenearlyourselves,ourtrueselvesastheinheritorsofThomasJeffersonandAbrahamLincoln,thanwehadeverbeenbefore.Andyetwithinafewyearsofthattremendoustriumph,oftheunexampledgenerosityofournuclearoffertotheworld,ofthemagnificenceofthemarshallPlan,wewerelostinthehystericalfearsandignobledeceitsofJoeMcCarthyandhisfollowersandhadadopted,asourforeignpolicy,thenotionthatifwe“contained”theRussianinitiative,wewouldsomehoworotherbebetteroffourselvesthanifwepursuedourhistoricpurposeasJeffersonconceivedit.Theresult,aswenowknow,wasdisaster.AndnotonlyinSoutheastAsiaandPortugalandAfricabutthroughouttheworld,Containmentputusinbedwitheveryanti-Communistwecouldfindincludingsomeofthemostoffensivedespotstheninbusiness.ItproducedflagrantlysubversiveandshamefulplotsbyAmericanagenciesagainstthedulyelectedgovernmentsofothercountries.Anditendedbypersuadingthenewcountriesofthepostwarworld,theemergingnations,thatheUnitedStateswastothemandtotheirhopeswhattheHolyAlliancehadbeentousandours200yearsbefore.I.Explainthefollowinginyourownwords:1.Allgovernmentsareallegedtohavebeeninstitutedamongmentosecurethoserights－toprotectthem.2.Intheolddayswhencollegeundergraduatesstillreadhistory…(1)Whatistheimplicationofthisstatement?(2)Howdoyouknow?3.…whohadmosttodowithitscompositionanditsadoptionbytheCongress.4.Mayitbetotheworld,whatIbelieveitwillbe:tosomepartssooner,tootherslater,butfinallytoall,thesignalofarousingmentoburstthechains…5.Themassofmankindhasnotbeenbornwithsaddles…bythegraceofGod.6.Itwastha