Question

There was a time when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicago had to pay large sums of money to gangsters(匪徒)in return for “protection”. If the money was not paid immediately, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop. Getting “protection money” is not a modern means. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters.

Then Sir John Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a group of soldiers and settled near Florence. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other, Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to those who were willing to pay the high price he demanded. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and, after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them. Hawkwood made large sums of money with this method. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero .When he died at eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral and had his picture painted, which was in memory of “this bravest man”.

1.What protection did Chicago gangsters give to those who paid them?

A. They saved those people’s businesses from destruction.

B. They left those people’s business unharmed much.

C. They sent soldiers to serve them no matter what help they needed willingly.

D. They didn’t take those people’s lives

2.Sir John Hawkwook's Italian name “Giovanni Acuto” was one which .

A. he gave himself in order to become better known to the Italians

B. he earned through his sharp practice of selling his ‘protection’

C. he needed so as to hire his soldiers to Italians

D. was given him in telling his services to the others’

3.The Italians regarded Hawkwood as a sort of hero .

A. because they couldn’t help admiring his bravery and boldness(膽大)

B. as he aided the citizens in peacetime when business was bad for them

C. he had played an important role in their daily life

D. for he lived so long and was given a state funeral by the Florentines

4.From the passage, we can guess the gangsters were those .

A. who were of great importance to the poor

B. who made the businessmen do whatever they were in need of

C. who were always ready to be sent abroad

D. who did harm to others

5.According to the writer, Hawkwood was .

A. a sort of national hero B. an experienced leader C. a brave soldier D. a noble gangster

 

Answer 1

1.A

2.B

3.A

4.D

5.D

【解析】

試題分析:曾經一度在芝加哥的商人要付給匪徒“保護費”，如果不付給“保護費”的話，他們會立即打砸店鋪，這種強行收取“保護費”的事情其實早在14世紀就已經存在了，而且在意大利人們甚至對大匪徒Giovanni Acuto特別的敬佩，在他死的時候竟然為他舉行了國葬。

1.A。推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章第一段可知芝加哥的商人要付個匪徒“保護費”，如果不立即付給“保護費”的話，他們會立即打砸店鋪，由此推斷他們所謂的保護就是不給店鋪搞破壞，故答案選A。

2.B。細節(jié)理解題。從文章第二段的講述可知John Hawkwook'靠他強硬的舉動而使他的意大利名字在全國聞名，故答案選B。

3.A。推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章末段對他的評價which was in memory of “this bravest man”可知人們把他視為英雄是因為他的勇敢，勇氣，故答案選A。

4.D。細節(jié)理解題。從文章第一段對gangstes行為的描述：如果不交保護費則對店鋪進行打砸搶，由此推斷他們是一些危害社會的人們，故答案選D。

5.D。推理判斷題。文章第一段提到匪徒收保護費的行為，然后以Hawkwood,為例來說明收保護費的行為自古就有，由此判斷Hawkwood是一個著名的匪徒，答案選D。

考點：考查社會生活類短文閱讀。