Question 18 is based on the recording you have just heard.

Recording One

听力原文

    What is a radical? It seems today that people are terrified of the term, particularly of having the label attached to them. (16) [Accusing individuals or groups of being radical often serves to silence them into submission,] thereby maintaining the existing state of affairs, and more important, preserving the power of a select minority who are mostly wealthy white males in Western society. Feminism is a perfect example of this phenomenon. The women’s movement has been plagued by stereotypes, misrepresentations by the media, and accusations of man-hating and radicalism. When the basic foundation of feminism is simply that women deserve equal rights in all facets of life, when faced with a threat of being labeled “radical”, women back down from their worthy cause and consequently participate in their own oppression. It has gotten to the point that many women are afraid to call themselves feminists because of the stigma attached to the word. If people refused to be controlled and intimidated by stigmas, the stigmas lose all their power. Without fear on which to feed, such stigmas can only die.

    To me, (17) [a radical is simply someone who rebels against the norm, what advocates a change in the existing state of affairs.] On closer inspection, it becomes clear that the norm is constantly evolving and therefore is not a constant entity. So why, then, is deviation from the present situation such a threat when this state of affairs itself is unstable and subject to relentless transformation? It all goes back to maintaining the power of those who have it, and preventing the rise of those who don’t.

    In fact, when we look at the word “radical” in a historical context, nearly every figure we now hold up as a hero was considered a radical in his or her time. Radicals are people who affect change. They are the people about whom history is written. Abolitionists were radicals. Civil rights activists were radicals. Even the founders of our country, in the fight to win independence from England, were radicals. Their presence in history has changed the way our society functions, mainly by shifting the balance of power that previously existed. Of course, there are some radicals who have made a negative impact on humanity, but undeniably, (18) [there would simply be no progress without radicals.] That being said, next time someone calls me a radical, I will accept that label with pride.

18. What does the speaker think of most radicals in the American history?

解析：C。在录音后半部分，讲话者讨论了激进分子在美国历史上的作用。其中提到，历史上的很多英雄人物都曾经是他们那个年代的激进分子。在录音结尾还明确说到，没有激进分子就没有进步。C项与此内容相符，故为正确答案。

错项排除：录音中只说到激进分子是影响社会变革的人（affect change），但并没有提到过与“暴力”（force）相关的信息，故排除A项。录音中只提到了历史上的激进分子们主要通过原有权力平衡的更替（mainly by shifting the balance of power）来实现变革，并不等同于破坏社会稳定，故排除B项。录音结尾处提到，虽然也有一些激进分子对人类造成了负面影响，但不可否认的是，没有激进分子就没有进步，这说明讲话者意在肯定激进分子的积极意义，故D项错误。