Question

    Scientists often complain that people are not rational (理性的) in their opposition to technologies such as nuclear power and genetically modified (GM) crops. From a statistical perspective, these are very safe, and so peopled fear can be explained only by emotion, strengthened by ignorance. Electricity from nuclear power has led to far fewer direct deaths than has coalfired power, yet many people are afraid of it, and hardly anyone is afraid of coal plants. Similar arguments can be made about GM crops, which studies have shown are generally safe for most people to eat.

Scientific illiteracy (无知) may be part of the problem. Most of us are afraid of things we don’t understand, and studies have shown that scientists tend to be more accepting of potentially risky technologies than laypeople. This suggests that when people know a lot about such technologies, they are usually reassured.

But there’s more to the issue than meets the eye. It is true that many of us fear the unknown, but it is also true that we don’t care enough about routine risks. Part of the explanation is complacency: we tend not to fear the familiar, and thus familiarity can lead us to underestimate risk. The investigation into the Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill (原油泄漏) in 2010 showed that complacency—among executives, among engineers and among government officials-was a major cause of that disaster. So the fact that experts are unworried about a threat is not necessarily reassuring.

Scientists also make a mistake when they assume that public concerns are wholly or even mostly about safety. Some people object to GM crops because these crops facilitate the increased use of chemicals. Others have a problem with the social impacts that switching to GM organisms can have on traditional farming communities or with the political implications of leaving a large share of the food supply in the hands of a few corporations.

Geoengineering (地球工程学) to lessen the impacts of climate change is another example. Laypeople as well as scientists are more concerned about oversight (监管) than safety. Who will decide whether this is a good way to deal with climate change? If we undertake the project of setting the global temperature by controlling how much sunlight reaches Earth’s surface, who will be included in that “we” and by what process will the “right” global temperature be chosen?

Can we say which group’s view is closer to an accurate assessment?

1.The underlined word “complacency” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A.overconfidence B.prediction

C.underestimation D.carelessness

2.The example of geoengineering is used to argue that ________.

A.safety is not the whole concern of the public

B.geoengineering is highly recognized by scientists

C.the public are unnecessarily troubled by climate change

D.lessening the impacts of climate change is a great challenge

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Scientific illiteracy is a major cause of disasters.

B.The safety of technologies can be accurately assessed.

C.Scientists misjudge people’s opposition to technologies.

D.People are unworried about risks with proper oversight.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A.Ignorance or Safety

B.Who Is Rational About Risk

C.Why Can’t People Trust Technology

D.Should Scientists Have a Say in Risk

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.C

4.B

【解析】

本文是议论文。公众对一些科学技术，如核能和转基因(GM)作物持反对态度。文章说明了原因：对未知的东西感到担心。但是科学家们对熟知的事物往往又低估了风险，这也让公众担忧。公众关心的除了安全问题之外，还有监管问题。

1.

词义猜测题。根据第三段中划线词后对该词解释“we tend not to fear the familiar”，人们不在意日常的风险，其原因是因为觉得对它们熟悉，从而过于自信，觉得可以应对它们。因此可以推测，complacency与overconfidence 同义。故选A项。

2.

细节理解题。根据第五段中“Geoengineering (地球工程学) to lessen the impacts of climate change is another example. Laypeople as well as scientists are more concerned about oversight than safety.（利用地球工程来减少气候变化的影响是另一个例子。比起安全来说，不仅科学家，非专业人员也更关心监督。）”可以推断，文章举地球工程的例子，是论证安全并不是公众关注的全部。故选A项。

3.

推理判断题。 文章首句提到“Scientists often complain that people are not rational (理性的) in their opposition to technologies such as nuclear power and genetically modified (GM) crops.（科学家们经常抱怨人们不理性地反对一些科学技术，如核能和转基因作物）”；第二段提到人们反对的原因是“Scientific illiteracy (无知) may be part of the problem. Most of us are afraid of things we don’t understand（一部分原因对科学的不了解，对未知的东西感到害怕）”；再根据第四段首句“Scientists also make a mistake when they assume that public concerns are wholly or even mostly about safety.（科学家们还犯了一个错误，他们认为公众关注的全部或者大部分都是安全问题。）”，第五段举地球工程的例子，是说明公众关心的更多的是监管问题。因此可以推断，文章提出，科学家错误地判断了为什么人们对有些科学技术持反对态度。故选C项。

4.

主旨大意题。通读全文，文章提出科学家们认为公众不能理性地对待一些科学技术，如核能，转基因作物等。作者在第二、三段中说明公众担心的原因；在第四、五段中说明科学家们认为公众主要担心安全问题是不对的，监管问题是他们更担心的。文章主要是论述科学家们对公众能否理性地对待这些问题的一些不恰当的看法。因此文章的题目应该是“谁理性地对待风险？”，用问句引起读者的兴趣和思考。故选B项。