专业八级英语(TEM8)100篇精读荟萃(中级篇)(可编辑).doc

八级英语100篇精读荟萃 中级篇 Passage One Violence Can Do Nothing to Diminish Race Prejudice In some countries where racial prejudice is acute violence has so come to be taken for granted as a means of solving differences that it is not even questioned There are countries where the white man imposes his rule by brute force there are countries where the black man protests by setting fire to cities and by looting and pillaging Important people on both sides who would in other respects appear to be reasonable men get up and calmly argue in favor of violence – as if it were a legitimate solution like any other What is really frightening what really fills you with despair is the realization that when it comes to the crunch we have made no actual progress at all We may wear collars and ties instead of war-paint but our instincts remain basically unchanged The whole of the recorded history of the human race that tedious documentation of violence has taught us absolutely nothing We have still not learnt that violence never solves a problem but makes it more acute The sheer horror the bloodshed the suffering mean nothing No solution ever comes to light the morning after when we dismally contemplate the smoking ruins and wonder what hit us The truly reasonable men who know where the solutions lie are finding it harder and herder to get a hearing They are despised mistrusted and even persecuted by their own kind because they advocate such apparently outrageous things as law enforcement If half the energy that goes into violent acts were put to good use if our efforts were directed at cleaning up the slums and ghettos at improving living-standards and providing education and employment for all we would have gone a long way to arriving at a solution Our strength is sapped by having to mop up the mess that violence leaves in its wake In a well-directed effort it would not be impossible to fulfill the ideals of a stable social programme The benefits that can be de