1 . Philosophers have a bad reputation for expressing themselves in a dry and boring way. The ideals for most philosophical writing are precision, clarity, and the sort of conceptual analysis that leaves no hair un-split.
There is nothing wrong with clarity, precision, and the like — but this isn’t the only way to do philosophy. Outside academic journals, abstract philosophical ideas are often expressed through literature, cinema, and song. There’s nothing that grabs attention like a good story, and there are some great philosophical stories that delight and engage, rather than putting the reader to sleep.
One of the great things about this is that, unlike formal philosophy, which tries to be very clear, stories don’t wear their meanings on their sleeve — they require interpretation, and often express conflicting ideas for the reader to wrestle with.
Consider what philosophers call the metaphysics (形而上学) of race — an area of philosophy that explorers the question of whether or not race is real. There are three main positions that you can take on these questions. You might think that a person’s race is written in their genes (a position known as “biological realism”). Or you might think of race as socially real, like days of the week or currencies (“social constructionism”). Finally, you might think that races are unreal — that they’re more like leprechauns (一种魔法精灵) than they are like Thursdays or dollars (“anti-realism”).
A great example of a story with social constructionist taking on race is George Schuyler’s novel Black No More. In the book, a Black scientist named Crookman invents a procedure that makes Black people visually indistinguishable from Whites. Thousands of African Americans flock to Crookman’s Black No More clinics and pay him their hard-earned cash to undergo the procedure. White racists can no longer distinguish those people who are “really” White from those who merely appear to be White. In a final episode, Crookman discovers that new Whites are actually a whiter shade of pale than those who were born that way, which kicks off a trend of sunbathing to darken one’s skin-darkening it so as to look more While.
Philosophically rich stories like this bring more technical works to life. They are stories to think with.
1. What does the author think of philosophical stories?A.The meaning behind is very obvious. |
B.They am extremely precise and formal. |
C.They often cause conflicts among readers. |
D.They are engaging and inspire critical thinking. |
A.Social constructionism. | B.Anti-realism. |
C.Biological realism. | D.Literary realism. |
A.Racial issues caused by skin colors. |
B.A society view on race and self-image. |
C.Black people accepted by the white society. |
D.The origin of sun bathing among white people. |
A.Stories Made Easy | B.Stories to Think with |
C.Positions in Philosophy | D.Nature of Philosophical Writing |
2 . Dr. Smith of New York works at a center for children who can’t learn well. One day a father brought his son to him for
The father told Dr. Smith about his son. “My son has
After Dr. Smith tested the boy, he
At this
“Now you can
A.testing | B.acting | C.teaching | D.playing |
A.confidence | B.interest | C.experience | D.difficulty |
A.returns | B.helps | C.appears | D.remains |
A.waited for | B.searched for | C.believed in | D.called in |
A.mirror | B.television | C.painting | D.desk |
A.face | B.line | C.number | D.star |
A.remove | B.follow | C.cross | D.cut |
A.decisions | B.choices | C.mistakes | D.patterns |
A.touched | B.dropped | C.moved | D.sharpened |
A.speed | B.corner | C.end | D.point |
A.staying | B.taking | C.preparing | D.writing |
A.easy | B.important | C.obvious | D.exciting |
A.ideas | B.words | C.questions | D.instructions |
A.relax | B.leave | C.understand | D.promise |
A.Interestingly | B.Absolutely | C.Suddenly | D.Unfortunately |
3 . I used to believe that only words could catch the essence of the human soul. The literary works contained such distinct stories that they shaped the way we saw the world. Words were what composed the questions we sought to uncover and the answers to those questions themselves. Words were everything.
That belief changed.
In an ordinary math class, my teacher posed a simple question: What’s 0.99 rounded to the nearest whole number? Easy. When rounded to the nearest whole number, 0.99=1. Somehow, I thought even though 0.99 is only 0.01 away from 1, there’s still a 0.01 difference. That means even if two things are only a little different, they are still different, so doesn’t that make them completely different?
My teacher answered my question by presenting another equation (等式): 1= 0.9, which could also be expressed as 1=0.99999.... repeating itself without ever ending.
There was something mysterious but fascinating about the equation. The left side was unchangeable, objective: it contained a number that ended. On the right was something endless, number repeating itself limitless times. Yet, somehow, these two opposed things were connected by an equal sign.
Lying in bed, I thought about how much the equation paralleled our existence. The left side of the equation represents that sometimes life itself is so unchangeable and so clear. The concrete, whole number of the day when you were born and the day when you would die. But then there is that gap in between life and death. The right side means a time and space full of limitless possibilities, and endless opportunities into the open future.
So that’s what life is. Objective but imaginative. Unchangeable but limitless. Life is an equation with two sides that balances itsef out. Still, we can’t ever truly seem to put the perfect words to it. So possibly numbers can express ideas as eually well as words can. For now, let’s leave it at that: 1= 0.99999... and live a life like it.
1. What does the author emphasize about words in paragraph 1?A.Their wide variety. | B.Their literary origins. |
C.Their distinct sounds. | D.Their expressive power. |
A.The repetition of a number. | B.The way two different numbers are equal. |
C.The question the teacher raised. | D.The difference between the two numbers. |
A.Measured. | B.Composed. | C.Mirrored. | D.Influenced. |
A.The Perfect Equation | B.Numbers Build Equations |
C.An Attractive Question | D.Words Outperform Numbers |
4 . At the age of 12, I withdrew into my bedroom with my guitar. I had neither musical talent — many
The world favors achievement while
The seeking of accomplishment always
A.added | B.tailored | C.expected | D.failed |
A.Besides | B.Instead | C.Therefore | D.However |
A.fruitless | B.matchless | C.effortless | D.senseless |
A.wished | B.allowed | C.required | D.invited |
A.masked | B.rooted | C.set | D.stuck |
A.waited for | B.passed by | C.departed from | D.stayed with |
A.exchange | B.reason | C.foundation | D.priority |
A.relationship | B.difference | C.balance | D.similarity |
A.ignoring | B.avoiding | C.assessing | D.defending |
A.origin | B.process | C.decision | D.reward |
A.lack | B.need | C.rush | D.dream |
A.amazes | B.concerns | C.frightens | D.discourages |
A.adventurous | B.dangerous | C.memorable | D.horrible |
A.impression | B.performance | C.scene | D.harmony |
A.pursued | B.accepted | C.interpreted | D.analysed |
5 . I stopped at the top of the hill, my right foot pressed back against the coaster brake (脚刹) on my bicycle. All I needed to do was to
When I returned to my hometown more than three decades later with my friends Dave and Scott, we
Dave went first. Then I was next. My heart was pounding. I
We didn’t know it then, but we’d face many similar
A.stamp | B.break | C.lift | D.keep |
A.paused | B.started | C.charged | D.fell |
A.unnecessarily | B.incredibly | C.occasionally | D.hardly |
A.ran | B.rode | C.climbed | D.wandered |
A.out | B.off | C.away | D.up |
A.similar | B.whole | C.different | D.smart |
A.risk | B.stream | C.slope | D.assumption |
A.turning back | B.looking down | C.giving in | D.breaking out |
A.get | B.avoid | C.make | D.search |
A.called | B.improved | C.smiled | D.balanced |
A.pressure | B.fate | C.gravity | D.difficulty |
A.recalled | B.completed | C.forgotten | D.received |
A.activities | B.troubles | C.lessons | D.periods |
A.corner | B.route | C.edge | D.line |
A.when | B.because | C.after | D.before |
6 . Recently, I accidentally found a set of Hanfu l only wore once from the bottom of the cupboard. I remember buying them simply to match the ancient-style hair accessories (配饰) a friend gave me. It occurred to me that 1 had been trapped in the “birdcage effect”.
“Birdcage effect” means that when you get an item one day, you will prepare more things to match it. Weeks ago, I was in the company of friends engaged in shopping. One said that she wanted to buy a good writing pen to match the delicate notebook that her sister gave her, so that she would fall in love with taking notes on reading, and thus love reading, not just reading. I joked that she must have fallen for the “birdcage effect”. But the friend said with a smile: “Why not use the ‘birdcage effect’ instead?”
For the first time, I heard that the “birdcage effect” can be used in reverse (逆向). However, this can’t help but remind me of middle school, and I seem to have used the “birdcage effect”. Passing by a bookstore one day, I purchased a magazine and saw the call for contributions published in the magazine, so I started writing with eager hands, and then I fell in love with writing.
After shopping with my friends that time, I began to proceed to use the “birdcage effect”. I bought a small fresh tablecloth to decorate my desk, and a beautiful notebook to record my inspiration. When everything was ready, I started writing again.
But how can we get rid of the “birdcage effect” in many things, and even use the “birdcage effect” in the opposite way? Various “birdcages” unavoidably appear in life, but we can distinguish them. If it is not in line with the actual situation, it is a “negative birdcage”, then we must learn to stop losses in time and maintain a heart of abandonment and separation. If it is a “positive birdcage” that motivates us to develop upward, we can clarify our goals, shop or decorate appropriately, and motivate ourselves to move towards our goals. At this time, you will find that the “birdcage effect” is actually not so terrible!
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?A.The application of the “birdcage effect” in life. |
B.The necessity of using the “birdcage effect” in life. |
C.The turning point of the author’s idea on the “birdcage effect”. |
D.The author’s conflict with her friend over the “birdcage effect”. |
A.To recall her delightful days at school. |
B.To explain the reason for her love with writing. |
C.To confirm the positive of the “birdcage effect”. |
D.To prove her knowledge of the “birdcage effect”. |
A.By realizing this effect has two sides. |
B.By promoting our personal consumption. |
C.By recognizing this effect is not so terrible. |
D.By guiding our acts to go with reasonable goals. |
A.Getting Rid of the Birdcage Effect Confidently |
B.Motivating Ourselves to Move Towards Our Goals |
C.The Birdcage Effect: Influence on Consumer Behavior |
D.The Birdcage Effect: How to Use It to Your Advantage |
When we were finally dismissed from the last class of the day, the students streamed out of the classrooms. It was another boring day after school. I dragged my feet home as I sighed. Yet another uneventful day, I thought. Little did I know that the day would take a turn for the worse.
The lift lobby (电梯间) of my flat was old and dirty. The walls, which were painted white, had been dirtied over many years. I reached my flat’s lobby, and pressed the lift button and went in. Just then, Mrs Lim, my elderly neighbour, hobbled (蹒跚) in. She looked ancient with tissue paper white hair, wearing a faded old-fashioned dress. I held the lift door open, flashing a friendly smile, and politely greeted her. I asked her how she felt that day and pressed the buttons. She thanked me for being so polite, then we were silent for the rest of the ride.
The lift fell down increasingly fast. There were loud clanking sounds here and there while the lift grew slower and slower. My heart beat hard and fast as my hands turned cold and wet with sweat. Unfortunately, the lift came to an abrupt stop at the fifth floor. I pressed the buttons hard several times, but it was of no help. The lights on the buttons had gone out. It soon dawned on me that we were trapped. An icy fear crept up my spine. Mrs Lim was hysterical (歇斯底里).
“We will never get out!” she cried with her face pale. It had become a colourless mask. I had no time to lose. I pressed the bell in the lift immediately. The sound was surely deafening, but what other choice did I have? Mrs Lim burst into tears. I tried my very best to comfort her, telling her that everything would be all right and that we needed to find out how to get out safely. Mrs Lim began having trouble breathing, and I immediately helped her sit down and loosened her collar.
Paragraph 1: Several minutes passed, but no help came.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: Bang! My hopes were lifted when I heard the firefighters on the other side of the lift door.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . I was then in my early twenties. Even though I was armed with a degree in Education, finding a
This year, when a golden opportunity
One day when the kids were
That experience showed me the
A.first-rate | B.well-paid | C.labor-saving | D.full-time |
A.escaped | B.demanded | C.arose | D.arranged |
A.jumped at | B.thought about | C.waited for | D.dreamt of |
A.occupied | B.amused | C.concerned | D.contented |
A.familiar | B.positive | C.strict | D.consistent |
A.evaluating | B.supporting | C.instructing | D.congratulating |
A.graded | B.dismissed | C.tested | D.taught |
A.note | B.gift | C.parcel | D.book |
A.judged | B.indicated | C.emphasized | D.accompanied |
A.hardened | B.touched | C.broken | D.gladdened |
A.simply | B.casually | C.carefully | D.eagerly |
A.reminder | B.treasure | C.proof | D.secret |
A.comfort | B.fortune | C.fantasy | D.privilege |
A.target | B.application | C.power | D.principle |
A.clarify | B.find | C.feel | D.spread |
9 . My mother turned ninety. I knew I needed to find a senior
I called a nearby center, “Do you have aerobics (有氧运动) classes
When I came into the room, a woman
I
A.leisure | B.fitness | C.community | D.learning |
A.change | B.remember | C.wait | D.enjoy |
A.routine | B.aim | C.challenge | D.plan |
A.attached | B.familiar | C.appropriate | D.vital |
A.comforted | B.invited | C.promised | D.welcomed |
A.sure | B.disappointed | C.anxious | D.hopeful |
A.make up for | B.look down on | C.get down to | D.keep up with |
A.greeted | B.recognized | C.helped | D.introduced |
A.relax | B.stretch | C.strengthen | D.use |
A.improvement | B.agreement | C.interpretation | D.conclusion |
A.Fortunately | B.Consequently | C.Naturally | D.Surprisingly |
A.problem | B.contribution | C.standard | D.focus |
A.lonely | B.absent | C.unhappy | D.tired |
A.fail | B.manage | C.attempt | D.continue |
A.backgrounds | B.connections | C.skills | D.duties |
10 . While enjoying my fresh lunch in a restaurant in Amsterdam, I noticed something odd. Customers coming in for something to eat ignored the person standing behind the counter (柜台), preferring to
What was the crazy thing about this? They were just several
Think about it for a moment. When was the last time you naturally
We shop,
A.talk | B.call | C.order | D.deliver |
A.meters | B.millimeters | C.kilometers | D.centimeters |
A.chance | B.turn | C.look | D.test |
A.spoken | B.written | C.typed | D.mentioned |
A.efficient | B.enthusiastic | C.effective | D.energetic |
A.ended up | B.engaged in | C.made up | D.went on |
A.hear | B.believe | C.remember | D.understand |
A.recording | B.studying | C.playing | D.calculating |
A.idea | B.aim | C.problem | D.rise |
A.cash | B.price | C.debt | D.tax |
A.decorate | B.book | C.build | D.repair |
A.Contact | B.Work | C.Quarrel | D.Reunion |
A.interests | B.benefits | C.disadvantages | D.influences |
A.unrealistic | B.unsuitable | C.unreasonable | D.unexpected |
A.serves as | B.refers to | C.accounts for | D.consists of |