A. Determining the main idea. 

   Choose the best answer. Do not refer to the text.

The main idea of the text is that ________.( D )

(a) Iris Chang overcame great difficulties and wrote The Rape of Nanking

(b) The Japanese Imperial Army committed inhuman crimes in Nanjing but Japan tried to escape international condemnation by continued denial of its atrocity

(c) Most of the Americans are ignorant of the Nanjing Massacre

(d) Shocked at the scarcity of literature on the Nanjing Massacre and indignant at Japan’s continued denial, Iris Chang wrote a book to educate people and make them not to forget the past

B. Comprehending the text.

   Choose the best answer.

1. During the Great Nanjing Massacre, the Japanese troops killed ________unarmed Chinese civilians in less than two months.  ( D )

(a) 300

(b) 3 000

(c) 30 000

(d) 300 000

2. At the beginning of the article, the author points to the fact that much of Japan to this day ________.( D )

(a) shows genuine repentance over the collective evil

(b) gives a satisfactory explanation of the Nanjing Massacre

(c) doesn't deny that the Japanese committed a collective crime in Nanjing

(d) simply won't admit that the Nanjing Massacre could have happened

3. According to the article, most Americans know ________ about the Nanjing Massacre.  ( C )

(a) much

(b) something 

  (c) nothing

(d) a few facts

4. Chang's book The Rape of Nanking does all of the following except ________.( D )

(a) demanding Japanese acknowledgment of responsibility for the massacre

(b) working towards mainstream American recognition of the massacre

(c) calling attention to a shared history

(d) discovering victims of the massacre

5. Still Life With Rice is a book about ________.( A )

(a) how Koreans suffered at the hands of Japanese

(b) how Chinese overcame adversity at the hands of Japanese

(c) how Koreans were shocked at the Americans’ ignorance of Korean history

(d) how Asian-Americans supplied resources in history

6. At first Chang obtained knowledge of the massacre mainly from ________.( D )

(a) American textbooks

(b) American school libraries

(c) Thread of the Silkworm

(d) her parents

7. When Chang saw those gruesome photographs of the massacre, she felt appalled because ________.( B )

(a) she had never imagined that such things could have happened

(b) it was worse than she could ever have imagined

(c) she didn't believe the black-and-white images

(d) it was the first time for her to know about the massacre

8. Chang believes all of the following except that ________.( D )

(a) Japan continues to deny that the massacre could have happened

(b) Japan has so far escaped moral and financial responsibility

(c) Japan is telling the world that a rich and powerful nation can kill and rape people and get away with it 60 years later

(d) the massacre is a mere slaughter rather than a systematic attempt at annihilation .

9. According to the author, Japan's continued denial of the Nanjing Massacre ________.( C )

(a) stems mainly from legal concerns

(b) comes from economic considerations

(c) comes mainly from its self-righteous belief that the Japanese themselves were victims

(d) stems from Japan's fear of right extremists in the country

10. According to Miller, Chang's The Rape of Nanking is ________.( C )

(a) a fictional account of the massacre in the English language

(b) an academic book with many pages

(c) aimed at an audience with little knowledge of the history of World War Two

(d) a criticism of Americans' "allergy to history"

C. Understanding vocabulary.    

   Choose the correct definition according to the context.

1. The Japanese Imperial Army made a prominent spot in the annals of collective evil 60 years ago when it launched the Great Nanjing Massacre.  ( D )

(a) black

(b) undeniable

(c) clear

(d) conspicuous

2. It was an act of mass barbarism that much of Japan to this day either can't explain or simply won't admit could have happened.  ( A )

(a) savageness

(b) denial

(c) militancy

(d) production

3. In the United States, a series of conferences timed to the anniversary of the massacre － which began on December 13 and lasted for about six weeks － is attempting to revive long-dormant interest in this horrific event.  ( B )

(a) consider

(b) renew

(c) uphold

(d) understand

4. "This is an invitation to Americans as a whole to become larger by incorporating the history of others," says Vera Schwarcz, a professor of Chinese history at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.  ( A )

(a) forming into one body

(b) becoming familiar with

(c) understanding thoroughly

(d) making use of

5. Her critically-acclaimed memoir, Still Life With Rice, is a fascinating tale of her grandmother, who overcame extraordinary adversity at the hands of Japanese.  ( D )

(a) nonfiction

(b) short story

(c) novel

(d) biography

6. The Nanjing massacre provides a compelling focus for Chinese-Americans, who pressured the San Francisco Unified School District into including the massacre in high-school history courses.  ( A )

(a) convincing

(b) interesting

(c) substantial

(d) demanding

7. Chang heard stories about the massacre － how the Yangtze River ran red with blood － and how her grandparents had miraculously escaped the carnage.  ( C )

(a) punishment

(b) persecution

(c) slaughter

(d) disaster

8. Ding adds, "The continued denial is an insult to our heritage."  ( A )

(a) offense

(b) regret

(c) betrayal

(d) obstacle

9. "It's appalling that the Japanese continue to deny that it happened, that they really have escaped moral and financial responsibility," she says.  ( D )

(a) exciting

(b) embarrassing

(c) puzzling

(d) shocking

10. This is one of the greatest atrocities the world has ever seen.  ( A )

(a) acts of great cruelty

(b) events of great importance

(c) spectacular actions

(d) unusual happenings

11. Chang's research uncovered a 2 000-page diary of John Rabe, a German businessman who spearheaded expatriate efforts in Nanjing to counter the Japanese army's insanity.   ( B )

(a) barbarism

(b) madness

(c) foolishness

(d) atrocity

12. The massacre was also a systematic attempt at annihilation, Chang argues, adding that the massacre should be likened to the Holocaust.  ( A )

(a) elimination

(b) slaughtering

(c) conquering

(d) occupation

13. All these issues are of little interest to most Americans, who suffer from what Schwarcz terms an "allergy to history."  ( A )

(a) hypersensitivity

(b) indifference

(c) attention

(d) dislike

D. Discussing the following topics.

1. How much do you know about the Nanjing Massacre?

2. Compare the Nanjing Massacre with the slaughter of the Jews during World War II.

3. Why should we Chinese always remember the Nanjing Massacre?