Mostofthepeoplewhoappearmostoftenandmostgloriouslyinthehistorybooksaregreatconquerorsandgeneralsandsoldiers,whereasthepeoplewhoreallyhelpedcivilizationforwardareoftennevermentionedatall.Wedonotknowwhofirstsetabrokenleg,orlaunchedaseaworthyboat,orcalculatedthelengthoftheyear,ormanured(施肥)afield;butweknowallaboutthekillersanddestroyers.Peoplethinkagreatdealofthem,somuchsothatonallthehighestpillarsinthegreatcitiesoftheworldyouwillfindthefigureofaconquerororageneralorasoldier.AndIthinkmostpeoplebelievethatthegreatestcountriesarethosethathavebeateninbattlethegreatestnumberofothercountriesandruledoverthemasconquerors.Itisjustpossibletheyare,buttheyarenotthemostcivilized.
Animalsfight;sodosavages(野蛮人);hencetobegoodatfightingistobegoodinthewayinwhichananimalorasavageisgood,butitisnottobecivilized.Evenbeinggoodatgettingotherpeopletofightforyouandtellingthemhowtodoitmostefficiently---this,afterall,iswhatconquerorsandgeneralshavedone---isnotbeingcivilized.Peoplefighttosettlequarrels.Fightingmeanskilling,andcivilizedpeoplesoughttobeabletofindsomewayofsettlingtheirdisputesotherthanbyseeingwhichsidecankilloffthegreaternumberoftheotherside,andthensayingthatthatsidewhichhaskilledmosthaswon.Anditnotonlyhaswon,but,becauseithaswon,hasbeenintheright.Forthatiswhatgoingtowarmeans;itmeanssayingthatmightisright.
Thatiswhatthestoryofmankindhasonthewholebeenlike.Evenourownagehasfoughtthetwogreatestwarsinhistory,inwhichmillionsofpeoplewerekilledordisabled.Andwhiletodayitistruethatpeopledonotfightandkilleachotherinthestreets---while,thatistosay,wehavegottothestageofkeepingtherulesandbehavingproperlytoeachotherindailylife---nationsandcountrieshavenotlearnttodothisyet,andstillbehavelikesavages.
57.Intheopeningsentencetheauthorindicatesthat________.
A)mosthistorybookswerewrittenbyconquerors,generalsandsoldiers.
B)thosewhotrulyhelpedcivilizationforwardisrarelymentionedinhistorybooks.
C)historybooksfocusmoreonconquerorsthanonthosewhohelpedcivilizationforward.
D)conquerors,generalsandsoldiersshouldnotbementionedinhistorybooks.
58.Intheauthor’sopinion,thecountriesthatruledoveralargenumberofothercountriesare________.
A)certainlyboththegreatestandthemostcivilized
B)neitherthemostinfluentialnorthemostcivilized.
C)possiblythemostcivilizedbutnotthemostpowerful.
D)likelythegreatestinsomesensebutnotthemostcivilized.
59.Themeaningof“Thatiswhatgoingtowarmeans;itmeanssayingthatmightisright.”(LastsentenceofParagraph2)isthat________.
A)thosewhofightbelievethatthewinnerisrightandtheloserwrong.
B)onlythosewhoarepowerfulhavetherighttogotowar.
C)thosewhoarerightshouldfightagainstthosewhoarewrong.
D)inawaronlythosewhoarepowerfulwillwin.
60.Inthethirdparagraph,whattheauthorwantstoconveytousisthat________.
A)WorldWarIandWorldWarIIaredifferentfrompreviouswars.
B)ourageisnotmuchbetterthanthoseofthepast.
C)moderntimeisnotsocivilizedcomparedwiththepast.
D)wehavefoughtfewerwarsbutsufferedheaviercasualties.
61.Thispassageismostlikelytakenfromanarticleentitled________.
