The word tolerance is widely used in liberal democracies. It indicates a positive meaning. Politicians urge us to be tolerant towards minorities. Educators teach us to be tolerant towards the other. The press is full of references to the need to display tolerance when faced with individuals or groups espousing a different view or holding a different religious belief. A tolerant society is an objective sought after by anyone who believes in the values of democracy. A tolerant individual is attributed with virtuous qualities.
The question we must ask is whether we have been using the word tolerance fully aware of its meaning and whether we have applied it correctly to reflect what we really wish to convey?
The word tolerance means to bear, or to bear with. If I tolerate something or someone, I basically say that I am ready to bear it or him. I can tolerate a bad smell or a noisy neighbour. The act of toleration forces me to desist from conveying my objection to the existence of a phenomenon, which I find difficult to bear. A bad smell or a noisy neighbour is considered by me to be an objectionable phenomenon. By tolerating either of them, I am not transforming the bad smell or the noisy neighbour into positive phenomena. Let's be honest: I don't have a different taste when it comes to bad smells. I simply dislike it and wish that it disappears. I don't respect the noisy neighbour. I would rather have him stop at once the noise he is making so I can live in peace.
To try to remove the bad smell or take reasonable action in order for the noisy neighbour to stop bothering me would most probably not be considered an intolerant act by most people.
Now, let's try to apply the word tolerance in reference to a person who is law-abiding and holds a legally acceptable different view from my own. I may have a strong view, which is opposed to his. Quite frankly, I may decide to tolerate his view. By so doing, I would be attributing to it a negative characteristic. I would apply the same attitude to his view as to the bad smell or noisy neighbour. Thus, to try to take action in order to make his view disappear would be considered an intolerant act. To tolerate his view the way I would a bad smell or a noisy neighbour, could hardly be considered virtuous.
The subject tolerating is by nature not equal to the object being tolerated. If I tolerate you, I essentially say that I am above you and am prepared, although unwillingly, to bear with your presence or with your practices or opinions. That may be true in the case of an individual who is ready to tolerate the other. However, this attitude by such an individual, though empirically true, is hardly a virtue. Certainly, the fact that an individual, in reality, may merely tolerate the other or his opinion does not justify a government or any official authority promoting tolerance as a virtue. One cannot tolerate an equal being. True equality involves respect, not toleration. To respect the other as a distinctive person is hardly to tolerate him. This is the true meaning of equality: diversity existing in a mutually-respectful socio-legal setting.
The danger with tolerance is that it can lead to the acceptance of individuals or groups bent on destroying the foundations of democratic systems. We have seen such cases with regard to political parties or destructive religious groups that have been treated in a liberal manner under the guise of tolerance.
A tolerant attitude involves the grant of a favour, not a right. The question we should ask ourselves is whether we would ever wish a parliament to make laws according to us, as individuals and as part of a collective entity or a permission to pursue certain actions interpreted as a favour rather than a right? Indeed, would we ever wish anyone to listen to our views and accept us the way we are simply because he is kind enough to tolerate us?
1. The first two paragraphs are mainly intended to show that __________.
A. tolerance is a symbol of liberal democracies
B. democratic society always advocates tolerance
C. people’s understanding of tolerance is one-sided
D. tolerance can be applied to many situations
2. The example of a bad smell and a noisy neighbour is raised to indicate that _________.
A. the writer are fed up with them
B. most people find them hard to tolerate
C. the writer isn’t prejudiced against them
D. tolerating them isn’t a virtuous act
3.Which of the following will the writer probably agree with?
A. Too much tolerance will endanger the foundations of democratic systems.
B. By tolerating people can transform something negative into the opposite.
C. People tolerating others are likely to consider them as their equals.
D. Being tolerant should be regarded as a right instead of a favour
4.The best title for this passage should be “___________”.
A. Tolerance and respect B. What is to be tolerated?
C. Is Tolerance a Virtue? D. Should people be tolerant?
Analysis of the composition of quicksand shows that there are four key ingredients—sand, obviously water, clay and salt. Together these materials form a structure resembling a house of cards, with large water-filled gaps between the sand particles, which are loosely glued in place by the clay. As long as it’s left alone, the structure remains stable. But as soon as it’s disturbed, by stepping on it, the clay changes from a jelly-like consistency to a runny liquid. The effect is the same as stirring a pot of yoghurt. Liquefying(溶解)the clay makes the quicksand about one million times runnier, and the whole house of cards comes tumbling down, with you inside it.
Very quickly, the sand sinks to the bottom and the water floats to the top. This is where the salt comes in. When there’s enough salt present, as soon as the clay particles liquefy, electrical charges make them begin to stick together to form bigger particles and these also settle with the sand. Quicksand is a mixture which looks like solid, but behaves more like a liquid.
Despite its murderous reputation, quicksand does not such people under and swallow them, although it can hold a person in firm grip. The human body is more buoyant(有浮力) in quicksand than in water, and sooner or later anyone trapped in it will float.
Unlike most liquids, quicksand’s viscosity, or “runniness” can suddenly change if it comes under pressure, for example under a human foot. The surface gives way and the victim quickly sinks in up to the knees, surrounded by an area of dirty things that turns semi-solid around its victim. Escaping from the quicksand’s grip(紧握) requires a large amount of force. Without something solid to pull at, people often find they are stuck fast. Pulling at one leg simply makes the other one sink further.
So how do you escape from quicksand’s control? Stay still and call for help. Staying still stops you sinking any further, until--with luck--help arrives on the scene. If no one appears and you need to draw yourself out, gently lie down on your back until your body is floating on the sand. Next, roll over onto your stomach and pull yourself forwards with your hands, so that you gradually “swim” towards firmer ground. It is a slow and dirty business, but it works.
This technique has one barrier: it goes against a very powerful human nature. Faced with danger in the open, nine out of ten stay on their feet so that they can run away, in which case it can worsen the situation.
1.Which ingredient of the quicksand make someone trapped in it stuck and stuck fast?
A. Sand B. Clay C. Water D. Salt
2.From the passage we can learn that ________
A. as long as you are strong enough, you can pull yourself up from quicksand on your own
B. clay glues sand particles loosely, which makes quicksand stable, unless it is disturbed
C. because anyone trapped in quicksand will float, there is little possibility of him dying
D. looking like solid ground, quicksand is actually liquid
3.If someone is trapped in quicksand, what should he do?
A. Remain calm and wave for help
B. Stand in quicksand and get ready to run away as quickly as possible
C. “Swimming” is one of the best choices he can use to escape
D. Once in quicksand, lie down on his stomach immediately and swim slowly to safety
4. What might be the best title of the passage?
A. A human killer--quicksand
B. How to escape from danger
C. An awful experience in quicksand
D. What to do if trapped in quicksand
What does the future hold for the problem of housing? A good deal depends, of course, on the meaning of “future”. If one is thinking in terms of science fiction and the space age, it is at least possible to assume that man will have solved such trivial and earthly problems as housing. Writers of science fiction, from H.G. Wells onwards, have had little to say on the subject. They have conveyed the suggestion that men will live in great comfort, with every imaginable apparatus(设备) to make life smooth, healthy and easy, if not happy. But they have not said what his house will be made of. Perhaps some new building material, as yet unimagined, will have been discovered or invented at least. One may be certain that bricks and mortar(泥灰，灰浆) will long have gone out of fashion.
But the problems of the next generation or two can more readily be imagined. Scientists have already pointed out that unless something is done either to restrict the world’s rapid growth in population or to discover and develop new sources of food (or both), millions of people will be dying of starvation or at the best suffering from underfeeding before this century is out. But nobody has yet worked out any plan for housing these growing populations. Admittedly the worst situations will occur in the hottest parts of the world, where housing can be light structure or in backward areas where standards are traditionally low. But even the minimum shelter requires materials of some kind and in the teeming, bulging towns the low-standard “housing” of flattened petrol cans and dirty canvas is far more wasteful of ground space than can be tolerated.
Since the war, Hong Kong has suffered the kind of crisis which is likely to arise in many other places during the next generation. Literally millions of refugees arrived to swell the already growing population and emergency steps had to be taken rapidly to prevent squalor(肮脏)and disease and the spread crime. The city is tackling the situation energetically and enormous blocks of tenements(贫民住宅)are rising at an astonishing aped. But Hong Kong is only one small part of what will certainly become a vast problem and not merely a housing problem, because when population grows at this rate there are accompanying problems of education, transport, hospital services, drainage, water supply and so on. Not every area may give the same resources as Hong Kong to draw upon and the search for quicker and cheaper methods of construction must never stop.
1.The writer is sure that in the distant future ___.
A.bricks and mortar will be replaced by some other building material.
B.a new building material will have been invented.
C.bricks and mortar will not be used by people who want their house to be fashionable.
D.a new way of using bricks and mortar will have been discovered.
2.The writer believes that the biggest problem likely to confront the world before the end of the century ___.
A.is difficult to foresee.
B. will be how to provide enough houses in the hottest parts of the world.
C. will be how to feed the ever growing population.
D.is the question of finding enough ground space.
3.When the writer says that the worst situations will occur in the hottest parts of the world or in backward areas, he is referring to the fact that in these parts ___.
A. the population growth will be the greatest.
B. standards of building are low.
C. only minimum shelter will be possible.
D. there is not enough ground space.
4.Which of the following sentences best summarizes Paragraph 3?
A.Hong Kong has faced a serious crisis caused by millions of refugees.
B.Hong Kong has successfully dealt with the emergency caused by millions of refugees.
C. Many parts of the world may have to face the kind of problems encountered by Hong Kong and may find it much harder to deal with them.
D. Hong Kong’s crisis was not only a matter of housing but included a number of other problems of population growth.
Raising Money to Find a Cure, One Ribbon Barrette at a Time
How many times a day do we tell our kids that we’re proud of them? Probably not nearly enough. As a daughter of Chinese parents, it’s not in our culture’s nature to celebrate incredible accomplishments by announcing them to the world, but I’m going to break the rule and announce that I’m so proud of my 10-year-old daughter and all that she has done to raise money to support research to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis(CF,囊肿性纤维化)
“Mommy, ” said Emily as we rushed around the house packing our things for another day at the pool last summer. “I’m going to bring my ribbon barrettes(丝带发夹)to sell during adult swimming”
Emily’s best friend is one of the 30,000 children and adults living in the United States with Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. In the 1950s, very few children with CF lived to attend elementary school. Although great progress in understanding and treating CF has led to great improvements in the length and quality of life for those with CF, there still isn’t a cure.
Last spring, Emily donated $ 140 CFF’s Great Walk in honor of her best friend living with Cystic Fibrosis. She had no idea what the summer would bring for her CFF ribbon barrette fundraise when school ended for the year. Fortunately, every time I shared a photo of Emily’s ribbon barrettes on the Internet, we received orders that privately message me or email me with requests for barrettes in their favorites colors.
Three weeks into the summer, Emily had raised $ 297 and I was spending a lot of time running her to the craft store to restock her supplies for a very good cause while my husband was packing and shipping orders all over the country. My social media accounts have served as the most powerful tool for Emily to spread the word. People notice kids doing great things and want to help the girls who are raising money to help find a cure, one ribbon barrette at a time.
Emily and her best friend have named their activity Ribbon Barrettes for Research. They have business cards and a brand new shiny website developed on a free platform, to show that any kid can do what she has been doing.
To my daughter, each sale is a victory and each order that goes out is an opportunity to spread awareness about CF. The handwritten thank-you note included in each order further shows the importance of teaching kids and parents how much their purchase support research that we hope will one day find a cure for CF.
As a parent, I love that Emily has found the power in her own voice and she has inspired others to advocate causes they care about.
1.What is Emily’s attitude towards treating Cystic Fibrosis?
A. Unconcerned B. Pessimistic
C. Hopeful D. Unworried
2.According to the passage, Emily’s ribbon barrettes are sold mainly _______.
A. at their school B. in their home
C. in the CFF D. on the Internet
3.The underlined word “word” in Paragraph 6 refers to _______.
A. raising money to help find a cure for people with Cystic Fibrosis
B. shipping orders all over the country
C. the handwritten thank-you note
D. helping people with CF by making ribbon barrettes
完形填空,请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
In modern society loneliness can be seen as a social phenomenon and people can experience loneliness for many reasons. It is a very common, normally temporary, consequence of a breakup, divorce, or loss of any important relationship. In these cases, loneliness may both from the loss of a specific person or from dropping of social circles. The loss of a significant person in one's life will lead to a grief response; in this situation, one might feel lonely, even while in the of others.
There are many different ways used to treat loneliness. The first step that most doctors to patients is treatment. Short term treatment typically over a period of ten to twenty weeks. During treatment, emphasis is put understanding the cause of the problem, thoroughly changing the thoughts, feelings, and attitudes resulting from the problem, and exploring ways to help the patient feel . Some doctors also recommend group treatment a means to connect with other sufferers and establish a support system.
treatment is animal-assisted treatment. Studies and surveys indicate that the of animal companions such as dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs can feelings of loneliness or depression among some sufferers. the companionship the animal itself provides there may also be increased opportunities for with other pet owners. Results of a study also suggest that improper socialcognition (认知) offers the best chance of reducing loneliness.
, loneliness can sometimes play an important role in the creative process. In some people, temporary or prolonged loneliness can lead to remarkable artistic and creative expression, for example, as was the with poet Emily Dickinson, and many musicians. This is not to imply that loneliness itself ensures this creativity, , it may have an influence on the subject matter of the artist and more likely be present in individuals engaged in creative activities.
1.A. however B. or C. but D. though
2.A. short-term B. long-term C. abstract D. concrete
3.A. break B. suffer C. result D. benefit
4.A. turning out B. dropping out C. falling out D. putting out
5.A. occasionally B. intentionally C. typically D. casually
6.A. charge B. company C. face D. absence
7.A. commit B. submit C. recommend D. resign
8.A. hits B. occurs C. strikes D. turns
9.A. in B. to C. for D. on
10.A. negative B. explicit C. positive D. original
11.A. affected B. touched C. disconnected D. connected
12.A. One B. Other C. Another D. The other
13.A. presence B. switch C. control D. management
14.A. speed B. save C. ease D. solve
15.A. Beyond B. Except C. Without D. With
16.A. wrestling B. training C. popularizing D. socializing
17.A. calculating B. correcting C. assessing D. transmitting
18.A. However B. But C. Therefore D. Though
19.A. turn B. case C. way D. return
20.A. yet B. still C. just D. rather
—Shall we make an appointment at 9 o’clock this Sunday morning?
—________. I will be available the whole morning.
A. It counts for nothing B. That suits me fine
C. It makes no difference D. Go right ahead
