There’s a song by the great Jamaican singer Bob Marley called So Much Trouble in the World. Marley understood that part of the reason why there are so many problems in the world is the lack of tolerance between people. The UN understands this too — that’s why it made Nov.16 “International Day for Tolerance”.
But first of all, what is tolerance? French philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778) can give us some help. According to him, tolerance is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty (脆弱) and error; let us pardon each other’s folly — that is the first law of nature.
Nobody’s perfect; when we’re tempted to criticize another person, we should perhaps remember our own imperfections first.
Very often, people don’t realize that they’re intolerant. This is because intolerance has a lot to do with ignorance. For example, the UN’s campaign is in part about the treatment of females by males. But often, the behavior of men toward women is intolerant because men don’t put themselves in the shoes of women.
It’s worth thinking a little about the words “tolerance” and “intolerance”. Are they the best words to describe the evils of which we’re speaking here? To agree to be “tolerant” of someone isn’t necessarily a very respectful thing. When someone is tolerated, it implies that there’s something wrong with them.
But it seems wrong that people should agree to “tolerate” people with black skin, for example. And should women think they have received the respect they are due when men agree to “tolerate” them?
Still, what Voltaire said stands: We humans are not perfect and this weakness is something that we all share. That’s the reason why we should be tolerant.
It’s a little like generosity. We can give things to another person, and we can also give our forgiveness. Bob Marley understood this. In the song mentioned above, he advised: “All you got to do: give a little.” Or, as this older piece of wisdom says: “Write your love on a rock so it stays for eternity; write your hate in the sand so the waves will wash it away.”
12. According to Voltaire, tolerance is _________.
A.being willing to express your love to others |
B.trying to overcome your imperfections |
C.giving a hand to vulnerable groups |
D.accepting each other’s weaknesses |
13. In what sense is “tolerance” similar to “generosity”?
A.Humans are advised to treat others better. |
B.Humans learned to find faults in others. |
C.Humans need to give something to others. |
D.Humans will change their attitudes to others. |
14. The underlined word ”
this“ in the last paragraph refers to _________.
A.giving things to others |
B.forgiving others |
C.different attitudes toward love and hate |
D.the fact that humans are imperfect |
15. What’s the text mainly about?
A.The origin of the International Day of Tolerance. |
B.The meaning and importance of tolerance. |
C.The philosophy behind Bob Marley’s song. |
D.Effective ways to show tolerance. |