【活动教室】
Passage 5.
Is It Possible to Persuade Mankind to Live Without War?
War is an ancient institution which has existed for 1) six thousand years. It was always wicked and 2) foolish, but in the past，the human race managed to live with it. Modern ingenuity has changed this. 3) man will abolish war, 4) war will abolish Man. For the present, it is nuclear weapons that cause the gravest danger, but bacteriological or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an 5) greater threat. If we succeed in abolishing nuclear weapons, our work will not be done. It will never be done until we have succeeded in abolishing war. To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way, not as contests of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skilful in massacre, but by arbitration in accordance with agreed principles of law. It is 6) to change age－old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted.
You never know your luck.
命运好坏不由己。
There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology would prevent war. I believe this to be a profound error. All ideologies are based upon dogmatic (教条主义的) assertions which are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false. Their adherents believe in them so fanatical that they are willing to go to war in support of them.
The movement of world opinion during the past two years has been very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a commonplace that nuclear war must be avoided. Of course very difficult problems remain in the international 7) , but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago. It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that negotiations should reach agreements even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important conflict nowadays is not between East and West, but between Man and the Hbomb.
答案与解析：
1.答案〖〗at least解析〖〗这里需要一个修饰时间的词组，使用at least“至少”可以使句子在表达意思方面更客观。该词组用于从最低可能去判断，不少于。
2.答案〖〗usually解析〖〗在空格前我们能够发现一个可以给我们解题很大启示的单词and，对比它连接的成分可以推断出空格中缺少的是类似always这样能够修饰形容词的表示“通常，大多数情况下”的单词，通过这些信息我们可以得出答案，即usually。
3.Sow nothing, reap nothing.春不播，秋不收。答案〖〗Either解析〖〗要么……要么。用在以“或”连接的两个或多个并列成分或分句的第一个之前，如：Either we go now or we remain here forever.要么我们现在走，要么永远在这里呆下去。
4.答案〖〗or解析〖〗还是either...or的词组，在此我们来具体看一下这个词组在使用时应注意的方面。在either...or结构中，两个连接词后应跟并列成分，试比较：（1）You may either have the ring or the bracelet.（2）You may have either the ring or the bracelet.你即可以有戒指也可以有手镯。显然，第一种说法不符合要求是错误的，而第二句是正确的。当作为句子中主语的either...or结构中的所有成分都是单数时，动词也应用单数，如：Either Mary or Tom has been invited. 马丽和汤姆都被邀请了。类似地，当所有成分都是复数时，动词也应用复数，如：Either the Clarks or the Keys have been invited.克拉克全家和凯全家都被邀请了。以上提到的几点相信大家都会用得很好，值得注意的是最后一点，即当结构中既有单数成分又有复数成分的时候，动词该采取什么形式呢。关于这一问题人们的观点并不统一，但普遍认为动词的人称和数应与离得最近的名词或短语相匹配，因此我们说Either Eve or the Keys have been invited.而不说Either Eve or the Keys has been invited.
5.答案〖〗even解析〖〗更加。这里需要一个能够加强语气的副词。前面提到核武器将造成严重后果，但相比之下细菌和化学武器的危害更大。even正是用在后半句之中以强调新武器的危害。
6.答案〖〗not easy解析〖〗和 difficult作用相同，此说法可以避免生硬的语气，更加符合英语表达的习惯。
7.答案〖〗sphere解析〖〗本词意思是：（活动）范围，（研究）领域，如：We move in different spheres.我们在不同的领域里活动。该词与我们平时所见常见的表“范围”的词不同，它表示的意思相对广些，现在我们来看一下其它表“范围”的单词：rang, scope, reach, compass，它们都含有“某事所能做的或所包括的范围”的意思。range指“运用心、眼、机器、力量等所能概括的整个范围”，如：the range of his knowledge他的知识面。scope指“活动、影响等的范围”，特指“了解，见解、适用性以外的范围”，如：It is within my scope.那是在我的范围之内。reach指“手、运动、智力、影响等能及的范围”，如：Its beyond the reach of human aid.那是人力所不及的。compass着重“某物所能活动的范围”如：speak within compass在限定范围内讲话。The wealth of the mind is the only wealth. 精神的财富是惟一的财富。
Passage 6.
Man and Nature
It is selfevident that man depends on nature for survival and development.
1) everything man possesses derives from nature. It is nature that has shaped man himself and his civilization.
2) the history of the development of human civilization is also a history of mans increasing destruction of nature. In primitive societies, people were completely at the mercy of their natural environment. In the agricultural era,
3) large scales of land cultivation and prodigious irrigation projects caused serious deforestation. The damage to natural environment and ecosystem has even been much greater since the “Industrial Revolution”, our land, rivers, oceans and air have now been seriously polluted by poisonous gases, waste drainage and other pollutants released from factories.
Man has damaged the environment almost to the extent of ruining his own living space. This has been frighteningly evidenced by the revenges nature has wreaked on man in return: the greenhouse effects, acid rains and the gradual depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere. 4） we want to continue to live in this world, we had better try the best to protect our natural environment, 5) the maintenance of a harmonious relationship with nature is a matter of life and death to us.
答案与解析：
1.答案〖〗Almost解析〖〗本词意思是：几乎，差不多。在此表示程度，但如果我们使用and，在语法上是正确的，但相比之下没有almost准确、生动、贴切，也很难和后一句联系起来。
2.答案〖〗Ironically解析〖〗本词意思是：讽刺地。这一副词用于修饰整个句子，从句意中我们可以看出人类的文明发展史也是人类破坏自然的历史，这种做法无疑是自相矛盾的，但这又是事实，很具有讽刺意义。
3.答案〖〗however解析〖〗从空格出现的位置判断，这里缺少的应该是一个插入成分，或类似though，however的连词。根据前后句子内容上的关系，我们可知这里需要一个表示转折关系的连词，在并列连词中，however可表示意思的转折，并且常用于句中，前后用逗号隔开。
4.答案〖〗If解析〖〗本词意思是：如果，（表假设）要是，如：If need be, well work all night.如果需要我们就干个通宵。根据主句的句意，“……，我们不得不……”推断空格引领的应该是一个条件句，所以选用if。
5.答案〖〗for解析〖〗for用于表示原因。这里将上一句中提出的假设人们必须履行义务的原因做了解释，说明维系人类与自然的和谐关系是生死攸关的事，人类只有爱护自然，才能进而达到爱护自己的目的。You can't judge a tree by its bark.人不可貌相。
美文赏析
Looking Back and Looking Forward
Looking back and looking forward are two kinds of attitudes toward life. Mostly, the young people prefer to look forward and think of their future. On the contrary, the old ones like to look back and learn lessons from their experiences. Perhaps this is one reason why two generations often conflict.
I think both looking back and looking forward have their advantages. On the one hand, looking back can make the same mistakes and achieve success more easily. On the other hand, looking forward will enable us to go ahead courageously. By looking forward, we can make plans and then strive to accomplish them.
In short, both looking forward and looking backward will contribute to our cause. But we should use them properly. If we only look back and not forward, we will waste time. If we look forward without looking back, we may make mistakes which hinder our cause. So we should look back and forward at the same time. Only in this way can we achieve greater success.
“向前看”还是“向后看”，这两种对待人生的态度各有何优缺点，如何处理好两者的关系，文章对这一问题进行了简单阐述。语言明了，条理清楚，层次分明，有一定的启发性。
