People who question or even look down on the study of the past and its works usually assume that the past is entirely different

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问题     People who question or even look down on the study of the past and its works usually assume that the past is entirely different from the present, and that hence we can learn nothing worthwhile from the past. But it is not true that the past is entirely different from the present. We can learn much of value from its similarity and its difference.
    A tremendous change in the conditions of human life and in our knowledge and control of the natural world has taken place since ancient times. The ancients could not, however, see in advance our contemporary technical and social environment, and hence have no advice to offer us about the particular problems facing us. But, although social and economic arrangements vary with time and place, man still remains man. We and the ancients share a common human nature and hence certain common human experiences and problems.
    The poets bear witness that ancient man, too, saw the sun rise and set, felt the wind on his cheek, was possessed by love and desire, experienced joy and excitement as well as frustration and disappointment, and knew good and evil. The ancient poets speak across the centuries to us, sometimes more directly and vividly than our contemporary writers. And the ancient prophets and philosophers, in dealing with the basic problems of men living together in society, still have something to say to us.
    We also learn from the past by considering the respects in which it differs from the present. We can discover where we are today and what we have become by knowing what the people of the past did and thought. And part of the past—our personal past and that of the race—always lives in us.
In the second paragraph, the writer places great emphasis on the fact that______.

选项 A、human nature does not change easily
B、a great change has taken place in the conditions of human life
C、social arrangements change quickly
D、it is impossible to ask the ancient people to give us useful advice

答案A

解析 细节题。文中第二段讲到,自古以来,人类的生存条件、掌握的知识和对自然界的控制能力都发生了巨大的变化。然而,古人不可能预见我们当代的技术和社会环境,因而对于我们的各种特殊问题也无法提供建议。尽管社会和经济安排会随着时间和地点的不同而发生变化,但人类始终是人类。我们与古人有着共同的本性,因而也会分享某些人类共有的体验和问题。据此可知,尽管人类的其他方面都在发生着变化,但人类本性却不会轻易改变,这是作者重点强调的地方,所以正确答案是A。
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