In those parts of the planet that might once have been described as Christendom, this week marks the season of peace on Earth and goodwill towards men. A nice idea in a world more usually thought of as seasoned by the survival of the fittest. But goodwill and collaboration are as much part of the human condition as ill-will and competition. And that was a puzzle to 19th-century disciples of Charles Darwin, such as Herbert Spencer.
　　It was Spencer, an early contributor to The Economist, who invented that poisoned phrase,survival of the fittest. He originally applied it to the winnowing of firms in the harsh winds of high- Victorian capitalism, but when Darwin's masterwork, On the Origin of Species, was published, he quickly saw the parallel with natural selection and transferred his bon mot to the process of evolution, As a result, he became one of the band of philosophers known as social Darwinists. Capitalists all, they took what they thought were the lessons of Darwin's book and applied them to human society. Their hard-hearted conclusion, of which a 17th-century religious puritan might have been proud, was that people got what they deserved--albeit that the criterion of desert was genetic, rather than moral. ~ The fittest not only survived, but prospered. Moreover, the social Darwinists thought that measures to help the poor were wasted, since such people were obviously unfit and thus doomed to sink.
　　Sadly, the slur stuck. For 100 years Darwinism was associated with a particularly harsh and unpleasant view of the world and, worse, one that was clearly not true--at least, not the whole truth. People certainly compete, but they collaborate, too. They also have compassion for the fallen and frequently try to help them, rather than treading on them. For this sort of behaviour, On the Origin of Species had no explanation. As a result, Darwinism had to tiptoe round the issue of how human society and behaviour evolved. Instead, the disciples of a second 19th-century creed, Marxism, dominated academic sociology departments with their cuddly collectivist ideas--even if the practical application of those ideas has been even more catastrophic than social Darwinism was.　[359 words]
　　1. It is implied in the text that______accords with the survival of the fittest.
　　A. the zeal for competition
　　B. the zeal for collaboration
　　C. the season of peace
　　D. the world of Christianity
　　2. It was Darwin who first put forward the idea of______
　　A. human species
　　B. natural selection
　　C. survival of the fittest
　　D. goodwill towards men
　　3. It is TRUE that______
　　A. people got what they deserved
　　B. there is no good helping the poor
　　C. the fittest survived, and prospered
　　D. Spencer was a famous philosopher
　　4. It is obvious that______is inconsistent with Darwinism.
　　A. the doom of the poor people
　　B. the prosperity of the rich people
　　C. the friendly social cooperation
　　D. the cruel trade competition
　　5. The author believes that______
　　A. social Darwinism is behind the times
　　B. neither Marxism nor social Darwinism is faultless
　　C. Marxism is superior to social Darwinism
　　D. Marxism is more practical than social Darwinism
　难句透析
　　①In those parts of the planet[that might once have been described as“Christendom”]，this week marks”the sea— son of peace on Earth and”goodwill towards men．A nice idea in a world Emore usually thought of as seasoned by the survival of the fittest]．
　　【结构】第一句中的方括号所标示的后置定语从句修饰“parts”。谓语动词“marks”后面跟有两个并列的宾语。第二句是个名词短语，是对第一句的进一步说明。其中的方括号所标示的后置过去分词短语修饰“world”。
　　【释义】在地球上曾经被描绘成“基督教界”的那些地方，本周的标志是世界一片和平，对人充满善意。在通常更被看做“适者生存”的世界上，这有多美好。
　　②”He originally applied it to the winnowing of firms in the harsh winds of high—Victorian capitalism，but [when Darwin’S masterwork，“0n the Origin of Species”，was published]，he quickly saw the parallel with natural se— lection and transferred his bon mot tO the process of evolution．
　　【结构】本句是由“but”连接的两个分句组成的并列句。方括号部分是第二个分句中的时间状语从句。其中有两个并列的谓语动词“saw”和“transferred”。
　　【释义】斯宾塞最初把“适者生存”应用于解释维多利亚时代资本主义全盛时期公司之间无情的优胜劣汰，但是，达尔文的名著《物种起源》出版后，斯宾塞迅速发现了与自然选择相似的事物，他把他机智的说法应用到进化过程中。