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  3. The United States has a major problem on its hands. The only way to solve it

The United States has a major problem on its hands. The only way to solve it

游客2023-08-12  32
问题     The United States has a major problem on its hands. The only way to solve it is through education. Negroes(黑人)should know about the contributions that black individuals and groups have made towards building America. This is of vital importance for their self-respect: and it is perhaps even more important for white people to know. For if you believe that a man has no history worth mentioning, it is easy to assume that he has no value as a man.
    Many people believe that, since the Negro’ s achievements do not appear in the history books, he did not have any. Most people are taken aback when they learn that Negroes sailed with Columbus, marched with the Spanish conquerors of South America and fought side by side with white Americans in all their wars. People are astonished when you tell them about Phillis Wheatley, who learned English as a salve in Boston and wrote first-class poetry. They have never heard of Benjamin Banneker, a mathematician and a surveyor, who helped to plan the city of Washington. There has been a tendency all along to treat the black man as if he were invisible. Little has been written about the 5 ,000 American Negroes who fought in the Revolution against the British, but they were in every important battle.
    How, then, did the image of the Negro as a valiant fighting man disappear? To justify the hideous institution of slavery, slave-holders had to create the myth of the docile, slow-witted Negro, incapable of self-improvement, and even contented with his lot. Nothing could be further from the truth. The slave fought for his freedom at every chance he got, and there were numerous uprisings. Yet the myth of docility persisted.
    There are several other areas where the truth has been twisted or concealed. Most people have heard of the Negro, Carver, who invented scores of new uses for the lowly peanut. But whoever heard of Norbert Rillieux, who in 1846 invented a vacuum pan that revolutionized the sugar-refining industry? Or of Elijah McCoy, who in 1872 invented the drip cup that feeds oil to the moving parts of heavy machinery?
    As for the winning of the West, the black cowboy and the black frontiersman have been almost ignored, though film producers are becoming more aware of their importance. Yet in the typical trail crew of eight men that drove cattle from Texas to Kansas, at least two would have been Negroes. The black troops of the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry formed one-fifth of all the mounted troops assigned to protect the frontier after the Civil War. "What difference does it make?" you may ask. A lot. The cowboy is the American folk-hero. Youngsters identify with him instantly. The average cowboy film is really a kind of morality play, with good guys and bad guys and right finally triumphing over wrong. You should see the amazement and happiness on black youngsters’ faces when they learn that their ancestors really had a part in all that. [br] Although Benjamin Banneker dedicated a lot to his country, he______.
选项 A、remained a slave for his whole life
B、was despised by all the white designers
C、is not mentioned in history books
D、ignored his achievements and kept quiet as usual
答案 C
解析 根据题干中的关键词Benjamin Banneker，将本题定位于第2段第4句。第2段的首句是本段的主题句，指出：“很多人都认为，既然黑人所取得的成就没有出现在历史书里，那么他们就没有任何成就。”接着在第4句以Benjamin Banneker为例，指出：“他们从未听说过本杰明-班纳克，这位数学家兼测量员帮助规划了华盛顿市。”由此可见，他不为人知的原因是历史书中未提及，故答案为C(历史书中并未提及过他)。A、B两项文中并未提及；对于D项，他的成就是被人忽视的，而非自己忽视的，故排除。
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