If you are one of the current group of long-term foreign residents in Beijing, you might want to reflect on the progress you’ve

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问题     If you are one of the current group of long-term foreign residents in Beijing, you might want to reflect on the progress you’ve made so far compared with the career of Sir Robert Hart, a British officer who stayed 54 years in China.【R1】______Today the name and deeds of Robert Hart are a largely forgotten footnote from the late Qing dynasty(1644—1911).
    It is unfortunate that Hart goes unrecognized since many of his accomplishments as a foreigner serving China’s cause are worth remembering as a bright spot during a dark chapter of Chinese history. 【R2】______Hart was a loyal and incorruptible official in the Qing empire serving as the Inspector General of the Chinese Maritime Customs. This was a unique institution where foreigners located in treaty ports supervised the collection of customs duties and docking fees owed to China from overseas traders.【R3】______It was led by Horatio Nelson Lay(1832—1898)until he was dismissed in 1863 by Chinese authorities over a dispute concerning control of a warship flotilla he’d purchased for the navy. Hart, who had joined the organization in 1859 after five years working in the British Consular Service, replaced him and following instructions moved the Customs’ headquarters from Shanghai to Beijing in 1865.【R4】______Hart knew he was a servant of the Chinese government, not its master. The Maritime Customs under Hart became a multinational institution staffed with foreigners from more than 20 countries as well as Chinese in the treaty ports forced open to international trade.【R5】______Even so, Hart demanded the foreigners he hired treat local authorities with respect, firing those who failed to do so.
    One unique feature of Hart’s dedication to work is shown in the illustration above. 【R6】______
    Funds placed under his control were used to set up lighthouses and weather stations, renovate port facilities, plus establish schools teaching useful subjects like foreign languages and science to future government officials. 【R7】______
    Much of Hart’s career was spent trying to lessen the negative impact of imperialism. 【R8】______
    With Customs’ offices located in the Legation Quarter, he often worked behind the scenes as a diplomat to advance China’s position in settling the Sino-French War(1884—1885), as well as delimit boundaries with British-held Myanmar and India.
    A. The difference between the two men, both of whom were fluent in the language, was temperament and attitude.
    B. Under his administration, the Chinese Maritime Customs became a major source of revenue to the Qing court.
    C. One major flaw with Customs was the "glass ceiling" where Chinese only held subordinate positions.
    D. Nineteenth century imperialism in China was a clash between an ancient empire and Western civilization.
    E. He was also instrumental in setting up China’s first centralized nationwide postal service and pushing forward development of the country’s navy.
    F. For 43 of those years, between 1865—1908, the Briton was based in Beijing.
    G. He emerged as a key figure in Sino-foreign relations during the last third of the 19th century.
    H. In 1855 the Chinese Maritime Customs was formed when the unpopular commission disbanded.
【R2】

选项

答案D

解析 空格前一句话指出,哈特的事迹是中国历史黑暗篇章里的一颗亮点,所以其后面的一句话进一步解释说19世纪的中国殖民主义是古老的东方帝国与西方现代文明交叉碰撞时期,也就是提供出了哈特工作的背景。所以D选项符合题意。
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