George Washington was the second President of the United States under the Constitution.（）

The writing of the Constitution of the United States is an act of such genius that philosophers still wonder at its accomplishment and envy its results. Fifty-five typical American citizens met and argued for 127 days during a ferociously hot Philadelphia summer and produced one of the magisterial documents of world history. Al most without being aware of their great achievement, they fashioned a nearly perfect instrument of government, and I have studied it for nearly 70 years with growing admiration for its utility and astonishment at its capacity to change with a changing world. It is a testament to what a collection of typical free men can achieve.

I think this is the salient fact about our Constitution. All other nations which were in existence in 1787 have had to alter their form. of government in the intervening years. France, Russia and China have undergone momentous revolutions. Stable nations like Sweden and Switzerland have had to change their forms radically. Even Great Britain, most stalwart of nations, has limited sharply the power of its monarch and its House of Lords. Only the United States, adhering to the precepts of its Constitution, has continued with the same form. of government. We are not of the younger nations of the world; we are the oldest when it conies to having founded the government which suits it best.

It is instructive to remember the 55 men who framed this document. Elder statesmen like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin contributed little to the debate but greatly to the stability and inspiration of the convention. Thomas Jefferson, perhaps the most brilliant American of those days, missed the meetings entirely; he was on diplomatic duty in France. The hard central work of determining the form. of government seems to have been done by a handful of truly great men: James Madison and George Mason of Virginia, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, James Wilson and Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania. Alexander Hamilton of New York did not speak much but did exert considerable influence.

The 55 contained a college president, a banker, a merchant, a great reaches of lawyer, a judge, a mayor, a clergyman, a state governor and a surgeon. One-sixth of the members were foreign born. Two were graduates of Oxford University, one of St. Andrews in Scotland. But the group also contained some real nonentities, including a military man who had been court-martialed for cowardice during the Revolution, some who contributed nothing to the debate, and some who were not quite able to follow what was being debated.

What this mix of men did was create a miracle in which every American should take pride. Their decision to divide the power of the government into three parts--Legislative, Executive, Judicial--was a master stroke, as was the clever way in which they protected the interests of small states by giving each state two Senators, regardless of population, and the interest of large states by apportioning the House of Representatives according to population.

But I think they should be praised mostly because they attended to those profound principles by which free men have through the centuries endeavored to govern themselves. The accumulated wisdom of making speaks in this Constitution. (530)

What is the major point that the author is making in the article?

A．The Constitution, one of the greatest documents of the world, was written by fifty-five men of varying talents and backgrounds.

B．The Constitution owes its greatness to the fact that it has never changed in a changing world

C．The Constitution was written by many people working together cooperatively.

D．The Constitution was written by many people, all of whom were thinkers of the highest order.

The writing of the Constitution of the United States is an act of such genius that philosophers still wonder at its accomplishment and envy its results. Fifty-five typical American citizens met and argued for 127 days during a ferociously hot Philadelphia summer and produced one of the magisterial documents of world history. Almost without being aware of their great achievement, they fashioned a nearly perfect instrument of government, and I have studied it for nearly 70 years with growing admiration for its utility and astonishment at its capacity to change with a changing world. It is a testament to what a collection of typical free men can achieve.

I think this is the salient fact about our Constitution. All other nations which were in existence in 1787 have had to alter their form. of government in the intervening years. France, Russia and China have undergone momentous revolutions. Stable nations like Sweden and Switzerland have had to change their forms radically. Even Great Britain, most stalwart of nations, has limited sharply the power of its monarch and its House of Lords. Only the United States, adhering to the precepts of its Constitution, has continued with the same form. of government. We are not of the younger nations of the world; we are the oldest when it comes to having found the government which suits it best.

It is instructive to remember the 55 men who framed this document. Elder statesmen like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin contributed little to the debate but greatly to the stability and inspiration of the convention. Thomas Jefferson, perhaps the most brilliant American of those days, missed the meetings entirely; he was on diplomatic duty in France. The hard central work of determining the form. of government seems to have been done by a handful of truly great men. James Madison and George Mason of Virginia, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, James Wilson and Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania. Alexander Hamilton of New York did not speak much but did exert considerable influence.

The 55 contained a college president, a banker, a merchant, a great teacher of law, a judge, a major, a clergyman, a state governor and a surgeon. One-sixth of the members were foreign born. Two were graduates of Oxford University, one of St. Andrews in Scotland. But the group also contained some real nonentities, including a military man who had been court-martialed for cowardice during the Revolution, some who contributed nothing to the debate, and some who were not quite able to follow what was being debated.

What this mix of men did was create a miracle in which every American should take pride. Their decision to divide the power of the government into three parts-Legislative, Executive, Judicial--was a master stroke, as was the clever way in which they protected the interests of small states by giving each state two Senators, regardless of population, and the interest of large states by apportioning the House of Representatives according to population.

But I think they should be praised mostly because they attended to those profound principles by which free men have through the centuries endeavored to govern themselves. The accumulated wisdom of mankind speaks in this Constitution.

What is the major point that the author is making in the article?

A．The Constitution, one of the great documents of the world, was written by fifty- five men of varying talents and backgrounds.

B．The Constitution owes its greatness to the fact that it has never changed in a changing world.

C．The Constitution was written by many people working together cooperatively.

D．The Constitution was written by many people, all of whom were thinkers of the highest order.

The writing of the Constitution of the United States is an act of such genius that philosophers still wonder at its accomplishment and envy its results. Fifty-five typical American citizens met and argued for 127 days during a ferociously hot Philadelphia summer and produced one of the magisterial documents of world history. Al- most without being aware of their great achievement, they fashioned a nearly perfect instrument of government, and I have studied it for nearly 70 years with growing admiration for its utility and astonishment at its capacity to change with a changing world. It is a testament to what a collection of typical free men can achieve.

I think this is the salient fact about our Constitution. All other nations which were in existence in 1787 have had to alter their form. of government in the intervening years. France, Russia and China have undergone momentous revolutions. Stable nations like Sweden and Switzerland have had to change their forms radically. Even Great Britain, most stalwart of nations, has limited sharply the power of its monarch and its House of Lords. Only the United States, adhering to the precepts of its Constitution, has continued with the same form. of government. We are not of the younger nations of the world; we are the oldest when it comes to having founded the government which suits it best.

It is instructive to remember the 55 men who framed this document. Elder statesmen like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin contributed little to the debate but greatly to the stability and inspiration of the convention. Thomas Jefferson, perhaps the most brilliant American of those days, missed the meetings entirely he was on diplomatic duty in France. The hard central work of determining the form. of government seems to have been done by a handful of truly great men. James Madison and George Mason of Virginia, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, James Wilson and Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania. Alexander Hamilton of New York did not speak much but did exert considerable influence.

The 55 contained a college president, a banker, a merchant, a great reaches of lawyer, a judge, a mayor, a clergyman, a state governor and a surgeon. One-sixth of the members were foreign born. Two were graduates of Oxford University, one of St. Andrews in Scotland. But the group also contained some real nonentities, in- eluding a military man who had been court-martialed for cowardice during the Revolution, some who contributed nothing to the debate, and some who were not quite able to follow what was being debated.

What this mix of men did was create a miracle in which every American should take pride. Their decision to divide the power of the government into three parts--Legislative, Executive, Judicial--was a master stroke, as was the clever way in which they protected the interests of small states by giving each state two Senators, regardless of population, and the interest of large states by apportioning the House of Representatives according to population.

But I think they should be praised mostly because they attended to those profound principles by which free men have through the centuries endeavored to govern themselves. The accumulated wisdom of making speaks in this Constitution.

What is the major point that the author is making in the article?

A．The Constitution, one of the greatest documents of the world, was written by fifty-five men of varying talents and backgrounds.

B．The Constitution owes its greatness to the fact that it has never changed in a changing world.

C．The Constitution was written by many people working together cooperatively.

D．The Constitution was written by many people, all of whom were thinkers of the highest order.

听力原文： The First Amendment of the Constitution in the United States protects citizens' rights to free speech. Yet, more and more people have called for censorship. They have expressed their outrage for what is printed in books, depicted in paintings and photographs, written in songs, or demonstrated at political gatherings.

Because of this outrage, many books have been censored from school libraries, art has been denied public funding, musicians have had concerts canceled, and political demonstrations have been limited. Probably the most extreme censor ship proposal in the U. S. has been to amend the Constitution to prohibit the burning of the U. S. flag, an act sometimes practiced by those who want protest against American policies.

These advocates of censorship range from the politically conservative to the politically liberal. In the South, for example, many conservative communities, while fighting to include time in school for prayer, are fighting to ban particular children’s books. Some African-American parents even reject Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn because of the book's use of "racist" language. Liberal feminists, too, have called for bans on published materials containing pornography. Censorship proposals are not only common in the world of books, but also in the worlds of art and music.

Why do a lot of people in the United States call for censorship?

A．Because they believe that they arch’t protected by the First Amendment.

B．Because they believe it is illegal to burn the U. S. flag.

C．Because they believe some people are taking advantage of the First Amendment.

D．Because they believe that artists should do a better job.

According to the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, American people ______.

A．swear whenever and wherever they want

B．have the right to the liberty of speech

C．have no right to obscenity

D．can not use swearing words under any circumstance

In the United States,the provisions of the constitution of any state may not conflict with those of the Federal Constitution.

A．stipulations

B．interrelation

C．jurisdictions

D．interpretations

In the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, it is stipulated that ______.

A．the government can entitle state-supported religion to enjoy some special rights

B．the government can not take any action to limit the practice of any religion

C．the United States would have no national religion

D．the government will not intervene in the social or political injustice or disaffection

In the United States, a proposal to make a change to the Constitution must first be approved by______ of the majorities of both Houses of Congress and then ratified by ______of the states.

A．two-thirds, two-thirds

B．two-thirds, three-fourths

C．three-fourths, two-thirds

D．three-fourths, three-fourths

According to the constitution of Singapore， the president of the state is elected 查看材料

A.live a better life

B.made up of one major island and more than 50 small- islands

C.have more farmland

D.by the people

E.produce many kinds of goods

F.have a big population

All of the following were reasons for the proposal of the amendment to the constitution, the Volstead Act, EXCEPT that ______.

A．without liquor, people would not drink

B．there would be no further danger to the public from alcoholism

C．there would be a rise in the cost of alcoholic beverages

D．people would not become drunk or create a public nuisance