文章大意:这是一篇夹叙夹议类文章。主要强调了质疑对智力成长和知识进步的重要性。作者从对于光的本质的了解开始,讲述了自己认识到质疑重要性的个人经历。通过研究和独立探索,作者学会了不盲目接受信息。这种态度使作者对事物有了更深刻的理解。
To learn to think is to learn to question. Those who don’t question never truly think for themselves. These are simple rules that have governed the advancement of science and human thought. Advancements are made when thinkers question theories and introduce new ones. Unfortunately, it is often the great and respected thinkers who end up slowing the progress of human thought. Aristotle was a brilliant philosopher whose theories explained much of the natural world, often incorrectly. He was so respected by the scientific community that even 1,200years after his death, scientists were still trying to build upon his mistakes rather than correct them.
Brilliant minds can intimidate up and coming thinkers who are not confident of their abilities. They often believe they are not as good as the minds of giants such as Aristotle. leading many to accept current ideas instead of questioning them.
I like many thinkers of the past, once believed in my mental weakness. I didn’t question what was written on those pages. I respected them, and accepted whatever they told me. But that attitude soon changed. My mind’s independence was first developed in the classroom.
A 65-year-old science teacher once told me that light is a type of wave. I confidently believed that light is a wave. One day, however, I heard the German exchange student mentioned that light could be made up of particles(粒子). As the others laughed at his statement (陈述), I started to question my beliefs.
Maybe the teachers and textbooks hadn’t given me the whole story. I went to the library, did some research and learned of the light-as-a-wave vs light-as-a-particle debate. I realized I had gone through life accepting only half of the story as the whole truth.
Each new year brought more new facts, and I had even more questions. I found myself in the library after school, trying to find my own answers to gain a more complete understanding of what I thought I already knew. Even textbooks can be challenged. I learned to question my sources, I learned to be a thinker.
Questions are said to be the path to truth, and I plan to continue questioning. How many things do we know for sure today that we will question in the future? I know nothing can escape the gravity of a black hole. This knowledge may change in the next 20 years. The one thing we can control now is our openness to discovery. Questions are the tools of open minds, and open minds are the key to intellectual advancement.
31. In the first paragraph, Aristotle is taken as an example to show that __________.
A.he is the greatest and respected philosopher of all time |
B.advancements are made when thinkers question theories |
C.great thinkers often make mistakes and then correct them |
D.huge influence of great thinkers may block human thought |
32. What does the underlined word “intimidate” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Frighten. | B.Encourage. | C.Strengthen. | D.Disappoint. |
33. We can conclude from the last paragraph that __________.
A.the author is not quite sure about his future |
B.we human beings don’t dare to predict future |
C.the theory of black holes will be true forever |
D.questioning is necessary to promote advancement |
34. According to the passage, the author __________.
A.determines to be a thinker and questioner |
B.always throws himself into the laboratory |
C.looks down upon great thinkers all the time |
D.never doubts what he has learned in the textbook |