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Nine years ago, I was in London. When I first arrived, I
asked the owner of the residence, "I want to get to know London, where
should I go first? 'Buckingham Palace' or Downing Street?" The old lady
shook her head and said, "Why would you go to such places? You should
start with Hyde Park. It is in Hyde Park where you can understand how we
have 'Buckingham Palace' and Downing Street in the UK." What she meant
was that the spirit of the British people is what shapes British
politics. It's not just the existence of the Parliament and the Cabinet
that brings democracy to the UK, but rather the democratic spirit of the
people that leads to the formation of the British Parliament and the
Cabinet. Hyde Park is a place where the spirit of democracy is
manifested.
The foggy weather in England often makes people reluctant to go out. But
since I received guidance from the owner of the residence, I couldn't
help but make up my mind to go and see Hyde Park. Hyde Park is similar
to other parks in the UK. It doesn't have many exotic flowers or caged
peacocks. It's just an open space with clusters of trees that are older
than London itself. The reason why Hyde Park is famous, however, is the
wide grassland in one corner of the park. Every Sunday afternoon, this
grassland is filled with people of all kinds, standing on tables,
chairs, or soapboxes, giving speeches to the visitors. Some attract
dozens to hundreds of listeners, forming dense crowds around them.
Others have only one or two people, or even no listeners at all, but
they still raise their voices to speak. Out of curiosity, I squeezed
into a crowd. The speaker at the time was passionately arguing that the
former Prime Minister Baldwin was a hypocrite. He presented several
reasons, and people in the audience immediately interjected, asking if
he himself was a hypocrite. Who in the world is not a hypocrite? Another
person came forward to defend the speaker. Among the many people, some
nodded their heads, some shouted "hear! hear!" (meaning agreement), and
some got so angry that their beards curled up. Strangers engaged in
heated debates with each other.
Suddenly, another person took the stage and criticized the opinions of
the person who spoke less than fifty yards away. The person on the
opposite side was from the Labour Party, while the one standing up here
represented the Conservative Party. The two engaged in a verbal duel.
Some of the listeners became dissatisfied after listening for a while
and walked over to the other side. At the same time, people also walked
over from the other side.
Anyone in the audience who had something to say could stand up and speak
at any time. If they found it uninteresting after a while, they could
leave at any time. Discussions in Hyde Park were truly lively. There
were childish and ridiculous remarks, incoherent ramblings,
well-reasoned arguments, and quotations from books... All kinds of
people were present. From a standpoint perspective, there were extreme
conservatives, outdated preachers, and passionate communists. There was
no shortage of factions. However, one thing, which was the point that my
residence owner wanted me to remember, was that in Hyde Park, no one has
ever fought, no blood has been shed, no one has thrown grenades, and no
one has prevented others from speaking. Even if no one listens to you,
you can still speak your mind loudly, and no one will laugh at you. I
did witness a speaker without an audience, and according to others, he
comes every Sunday without fail. Not only did everyone not ridicule him,
but they also thought he was quite good. He believed that he had the
right to speak his mind. He could come and give his monologue every
Sunday, but he couldn't force others to listen to him, let alone forbid
others from speaking. If he did that, he wouldn't be able to stay in
Hyde Park anymore. |
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1. This passage describes the scenes of debates and speeches in Hyde
Park. What is the purpose?
A. Reflecting the importance of democratic politics
B. Reflecting the democratic spirit of respecting freedom of speech
among local people
C. Reflecting the local culture of debate
D. Reflecting the locals' willingness to accept others' opinions |
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Identify the three elements of scene description in the
passage: "characters," "events," and "environment." |
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Based on the entire text, what is the atmosphere in
Hyde Park on Sundays? (Choose more than one)
A. Relaxed
B. Enthusiastic
C. Tense
D. Peaceful
E. Serious |
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4. Why did the old lady suggest the author go to Hyde
Park first? |
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Answers |
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B |
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Characters: Several speakers,
audience
Event: People freely speaking
and expressing their opinions in the park
Environment: A spacious
grassy area in Hyde Park |
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A B D |
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Because Hyde Park is a place that embodies the spirit
of democracy, the author can experience British democratic politics
there. |
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