Question

Earlier this month, the University of Glasgow in Scotland launched a course entitled: The Simpsons Introduce Philosophy（哲学）. The course’s aim is to ease students into the typically heavy topic by relating it to the popular cartoon family.

“The Simpsons is one of the modem world’s greatest cultural products, partly because it is so full of philosophy,” John Donaldson, creator of the course, told the BBC. “Aristotle, Kant, Marx, Camus and many other great thinkers’ ideas are represented in what is arguably the purest of philosophical forms — the comic cartoon.”

While this may seem like an unusual way to attract pupils to a traditionally dull topic, this class isn’t the first of its kind. In 2009, Liverpool Hope University in the UK began offering a master’s degree on the music of world-famous 60’s group The Beatles, which still runs today. The following year, the UK’s Durham University gave students the chance to enroll on a Harry Potter-themed module, covering contents such as “Gryffindor and Slytherin: prejudice and intolerance in the classroom,” and “muggles and magic”.

To some, these courses may seem like a waste of a valuable education, but Donaldson believes that packaging certain topics into something more easy to relate to will enhance the learning experience, without distracting（分离）from the main subject. “Firstly, scholars want to be taken seriously by other scholars and ideas like this can be seen as not serious,” he tells iNews. “There are definitely ways to include popular culture into academic subjects that still remains their nature and doesn’t take away from the quality of the ideas,”

Already booked full, Donaldson’s Simpsons class isn’t meant to be taken as seriously, however. The lecturer says that his one-day course, which will pose philosophical questions around morality, free will, and religion by relating them to scenarios（情节）from The Simpsons, aims to introduce students to his area of expertise greatly while having a bit of fun.

1.From Paragraph 2, we can learn that         .

A. The Simpsons contains many philosophical ideas

B. John Donaldson produces those philosophical ideas

C. many great thinkers will be invited to The Simpsons

D. the main reason for The Simpsons’ success is its philosophy

2.Paragraph 3 is developed mainly         .

A. by comparison    B. by time

C. by example    D. by process

3.What is the main feature of the course according to Donaldson?

A. It’s very dull with many serious topics.

B. It’s very common as a traditional course.

C. It’s very time-saving as a one-day course.

D. It’s very efficient in teaching philosophic ideas.

4.The passage mainly talks about         .

A. a creative philosophy course    B. a popular comic cartoon

C. a reform of traditional subjects    D. an enterprising lecturer

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】试题这是一篇议论文。苏格兰格拉斯哥大学开设了一门课程：辛普森一家介绍哲学，目的是用轻松的方式让学生轻松进入沉重的严肃的哲学话题。

1.推理判断题。由第二段的“The Simpsons is one of the modem world’s greatest cultural products, partly because it is so full of philosophy,”和“Aristotle, Kant, Marx, Camus and many other great thinkers’ ideas are represented in what is arguably the purest of philosophical forms — the comic cartoon.”可知，这部喜剧中包含了许多哲学，许多思想家的思想被用喜剧的形式呈现出来。因此推断辛普森一家这部喜剧包含许多哲学思想。故选A。

2.篇章结构题。第三段通过讲述了英国利物浦希望大学、英国达勒姆大学来说明利用这种不同寻常的方式吸引学生学习传统上枯燥的科目。因此可知本段是通过举例来讲述的。故选C。

3.推理判断题。由倒数第二段的“Donaldson believes that packaging certain topics into something more easy to relate to will enhance the learning experience, without distracting（分离）from the main subject.”可知，Donaldson认为将某些主题包装成更容易联系起来的话题将能够提高学习体验，而不会分散对主要学科的注意力。因此推断，他认为这种方式在教授哲学思想方面是很有效的。故选D。

4.主旨大意题。由第一段可知，本文主要讲述苏格兰的一所大学开设了一门有创造性的哲学课程——辛普森一家介绍哲学，目的是用轻松的方式让学生轻松进入沉重的严肃的话题。故选A。