Martin Luther King Jr.
By the time the Montgomery Improvement Association chose the 26-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. as its leader, the bus boycott by the black citizens of Montgomery, Alabama, was already an overwhelming success. King would later write that his unanticipated call to leadership "happened so quickly that I did not have time to think it through. " "it is probable that if I had, I would have declined the nomination. "
Although press reports at the time focused on his inspiring oratory, King was actually a reluctant leader of a movement initiated by others. (The boycott began on Dec. 5,1955. ) His subsequent writings and private correspondence reveal a man whose inner doubts sharply contrast with his public persona. In the early days of his involvement, King was troubled by telephone threats, discord within the black community and Montgomery's "get tough" policy, to which King attributed his jailing on a minor traffic violanon. One night, as he considered ways to "'move out of the picture without appearing a coward," he began to pray aloud and. at that moment, "experienced the presence of the God as I had never experienced Him before. "
He would later admit that when the boycott began, he was not yet firmly committed to Gandhian principles. Although he had been exposed to those teachings in college, he had remained skeptical. "I thought the only way we could solve our problem of segregation was an armed revolt." he recalled. "I felt that the Christian ethic of love was confined to individual relationships. "
Only after his home was bombed in late January did King reconsider his views on violence. (At the time, he was seeking a gun permit and was protected by armed body- guards.) Competing with each other to influence King were two ardent pacifists: Bayard Rustin, a black activist with the War Resisters League, and the Rev. Glenn E. Smiley, a white staff member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Rustin was shocked to discover a gun in King's house, while Smiley informed fellow pacifists that King's home was "an arsenal. "
31. What did King think of his nomination as leader of the Montgomery Boycott?
A. He hadn't expected it.
B. He had to think about it carefully.
C. He would refuse to accept it.
D. He was prepared to accept it.
32. Why was King unwilling to lead the movement at first ?
A. Because he doubted if the boycott would be successful.
B. Because he was troubled with a traffic accident at that time.
C. Because he thought he was too young to be a leader.
D. Because he himself didn't start the boycott.
33. Which of the following is Not Mentioned as something that happened at the beginning of the black people's movement?
A. King was put into prison.
B. Black people disagreed with each other.
C. King's armed revolt proposal was turned down.
D. Black people found it hard to accept the policy pursued in Montgomery.
34. Which of the following was the immediate cause that made King change his view on violence?
A. The education he received in college.
B. The attack of his home.
C. The influence of two active non-violence advocates.
D. The verdict of the Supreme Court.
35. In Paragraph 4, the last sentence "King's home was 'an arsenal'" means
A. King's home was a place where people got together.
B. King's home was a place where people tested bombs.
C. King's home was a place where weapons were stored.
D. King's home was a place where bombs exploded.
参考译文
小马丁.路德•金
当“蒙哥马利进步联盟”推选26岁的小马丁•路德•金作为领袖的时候，由阿拉巴马州蒙哥马利市黑人居民发起的抵制乘坐公共汽车运动已经取得了压倒性胜利。金后来写道，这个他没有预料到的担任领导人的提名，“来得很突然，以至于我没有时间深思熟虑。”“假如我有时间深入考虑的话，我很可能不接受提名。”
虽然当时的报道把焦点都对准了他那鼓舞人心的口才，实际上，他并不愿意成为一个由别人发起的运动的领袖(抵制运动开始于1955年12月5日)。他后来的著作及私人信件显露出，他是一个内心的疑虑和公众形象成鲜明对照的人。在他参与这项运动的早期，恐吓电话、黑人团体内部的不和以及蒙哥马利市的强硬政策都曾困扰过他，并且因此使他由于一次小交通事故而坐牢。一天晚上，当他考虑“怎样从这样的境况中体面地退出而不显得懦弱”时，他开始大声祈祷，也就在那个时候，他“体验到了以前从未体验过的上帝的存在”。
他后来承认，当抵制发生的时候，他还没有坚定地遵循甘地主义的行为标准。虽然在大学里他已经接触过这些东西，他仍然对此表示怀疑。“我认为唯一解决我们种族隔离问题的方法就是武装反抗。”他回忆说。“我觉得基督教中爱的美德主要指个人之间的关系。”
直到他的家在一月下旬发生爆炸之后，金才重新考虑他关于暴力的观点(那时，他正在申请持枪许可证，并且由贴身的武装保镖保护)。争着要影响金的两个热情的和平主义者是：反战联盟的黑人活动家拜德•罗斯廷和调和协会的白人职员之一格伦•伊•史密利。罗斯廷对在金的屋子里发现一支手枪一事感到震惊，而史密利则告诉反战主义同胞，金的家就是一座“军火库”。 |
