Who do you think breaks the law in our society? If you believe that only tough guys mit crimes, you may have to think again. Unlike in the movies, we can’t divide the world into bad guys and model citizens. Real life is much more plex. In the same way that diseases range from the mon cold to fatal forms of cancer, crimes vary in degree. For example, smoking in an elevator will inconvenience people, but much less than threatening them with a gun.
In addition to breaking the law themselves, people tolerate various levels of crime. Why can we tolerate some crimes? It may be that, by seeing others do something, we accept it more easily. For instance, most people will find it easier to speed on a highway when everybody else is driving over the speed limit. When people celebrate a sports championship, if they see someone breaking store windows, they might start breaking windows themselves or even steal from the store. So the people around us influence how much law-breaking we can tolerate.
We must also wonder whether seeing violence on television or reading about it in the newspapers every day makes us tolerate crime more than we should. We bee used to seeing blood on the news on television, or in full color in newspapers and magazines. Because we see thousands of dead people on TV, maybe we just try to ignore the situation behind the violence.
If so many citizens tolerate violence and crime, or even mit crimes themselves, it may simply be because of the human mind. Our minds may not care about specific laws. Instead, our minds may have a system of values that usually prevents us from hurting other people to improve our own lives. Yet, when it es to respecting the rights of a mass of anonymous (不知名的) individuals, we might not be so responsible. While most people would not steal a wallet containing $50, they may not mind cheating on taxes, because cheating on taxes does not hurt any one person. It hurts society, but “society” remains an abstract idea that is not as real as a neighbor or a friend’s friend.
When we realize that so many people have misunderstandings of law-breaking, it is not surprising that so many people tolerate crimes, or even break laws, including me. But how could we improve the level of honesty in our society? Would strict laws help make our society better? Probably not. Honesty will have to e from social pressure: in the family, at school, on the job, each and every one of us can encourage honesty by showing which behavior is unacceptable. And teaching respect should bee everyone’s responsibility.
【小题1】According to the author, “Real life is much more plex.” probably means .A．there is a wide range of people and crimes in the real lifeB．smoking in an elevator goes against laws in the real lifeC．there are much more crimes than diseases in the real lifeD．some model citizens sometimes break laws in the real life【小题2】What does the author think of the people who cheat on taxes?A．They take no notice of the human mind.B．They break the laws unaccepted in their minds.C．They aren’t concerned about some particular laws.D．They hurt other people to improve their own lives.【小题3】People tolerate violence and crime because .A．their behavior is the same as that of most other peopleB．they pay no attention to the truth behind the crimesC．most unlawful acts are not harmful to the individualD．they hold mistaken beliefs about law-breaking【小题4】What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?A．To discuss whether laws are strict enough.B．To remind people to behave with honesty.C．To show people the importance of education.D．To explain why many people have criminal records.A
网友回答
(答案→)A
解析：
试题解析：文章叙述了在现实生活中出现的各种各样的犯罪以及人们对与犯罪的认知态度以提醒人们要诚信做人.
【小题1】A句意猜测题。根据本句的前后文：你认为谁在我们的社会中是违法的？如果你认为只有粗暴的人犯罪，你可能要再想想。与电影不同，我们不能把世界分成坏蛋和好人。真实的生活要复杂得多。在疾病的范围从普通的感冒到致命的癌症一样，犯罪的程度也不同。例如，在电梯里吸烟会给人带来不便，但远低于用抢来威胁他们，这些内容说明真实生活的复杂指的是在现实生活中有各种各样的人会犯罪，所以A正确。
【小题2】C细节推理题。根据第四段If so many citizens tolerate violence and crime, or even mit crimes themselves, it may simply be because of the human mind. Our minds may not care about specific laws如果如此多的公民容忍暴力和犯罪，甚至自己也犯罪，这可能是因为人的思想。我们的头脑不关心具体的法律，下文就以the people who cheat on taxes为例来说明这一点，所以C正确。
【小题3】D细节推理题。根据最后一段When we realize that so many people have misunderstandings of law-breaking, it is not surprising that so many people tolerate crimes, or even break laws, including me当我们意识到这么多人对违法的误解，以致许多人容忍犯罪，这并不奇怪，甚至违反法律，包括我，可以判断D正确。
【小题4】B主旨大意题，根据最后一段Would strict laws help make our society better? Probably not. Honesty will have to e from social pressure: in the family, at school, on the job, each and every one of us can encourage honesty by showing which behavior is unacceptable. And teaching respect should bee everyone’s responsibility.严格的法律会使我们的社会更好吗？可能不会。诚实将不得不来自社会上的压力在家庭，在学校，在工作上，我们每一个人可以通过显示哪些行为是不可接受的来鼓励诚实。教授诚实是每一个人的责任，所以写作意图是：提醒人们要诚信做事，所以B正确。：