Question

    Convincing someone to change their mind is really the process of convincing them to change their tribe (部落). If they abandon their beliefs, they run the risk of losing social ties. You can’t expect someone to change their mind if you take away their community too.

The way to change people’s minds is to become friends with them, to combine them into your tribe, to bring them into your circle. Now, they can change their beliefs without the risk of being abandoned socially.

The British philosopher Alain de Botton suggests that we simply share meals with those who disagree with us: “Sitting down at a table with a group of strangers has the incomparable and odd benefit of making it a little more difficult to hate them without punishment. Prejudice and conflict between groups of people from different nations or races feed off abstraction. However, during a meal, something about handing dishes around, unfolding napkins (餐巾纸) at the same moment, even asking a stranger to pass the salt makes us less likely to hold the belief that the outsiders who wear unusual clothes and speak in distinctive accents deserve to be sent home or attacked. For all the large-scale political solutions which have been proposed to ease racial or cultural conflict, there are few more effective ways to promote tolerance between suspicious neighbours than to force them to eat supper together.”

Perhaps it is not difference, but distance that produces tribalism and unfriendliness. As proximity increases, so does understanding. I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.” Facts don’t change our minds. Friendship does.

The Japanese writer Haruki Murakami once wrote, “Always remember that to argue, and win, is to break down the reality of the person you are arguing against. It is painful to lose your reality, so be kind, even if you are right.”

When we are in the moment, we can easily forget that the goal is to connect with the other side, cooperate with them, befriend them, and integrate them into our tribe. We are so caught up in winning that we forget about connecting. It’s easy to spend your energy labeling people rather than working with them.

The word “kind (family and relatives)” originated from the word “kin (old fashion of family and relatives).” When you are kind to someone, it means you are treating them like family. This, I think, is a good method for actually changing someone’s mind. Develop a friendship. Share a meal. Gift a book. Be kind first, be right later.

1.People are likely to change their mind when they _____.

A.change their beliefs B.are made friends with

C.move to a new community D.are given somewhere to go

2.What does the underlined word “proximity” in paragraph 4 mean?

A.Nearness. B.Action. C.Communication. D.Politeness.

3.The author quotes from Haruki Murakami to imply that _____.

A.breaking down one’s reality is easy

B.kindness is more important than right

C.arguing and winning are not important

D.losing one’s identity is a painful process

4.According to the passage, sharing meals is effective in building connections because it ____.

A.pleases people with different beliefs or accents

B.makes people focus on eating rather than conflicts

C.brings benefits to the people having dinner together

D.promotes understanding and tolerance among people

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇议论文。改变别人想法并不容易，其方法就是和他们成为朋友。距离产生隔阂，共同进餐更能促进了人们之间的理解和宽容。

1.

细节理解题。根据文章第二段“The way to change people’s minds is to become friends with them, to combine them into your tribe, to bring them into your circle.(改变别人想法的方法就是和他们成为朋友，把他们融入你的部落，把他们带入你的圈子)”可知，只有成为朋友之后，人们才有可能改变想法。故选B。

2.

词义猜测题。根据文章第四段“Perhaps it is not difference, but distance that produces tribalism and unfriendliness. (也许并不是差异，而是距离造成了部落主义和不友好。)”和“I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.”(我想起亚伯拉罕·林肯的名言，“我不喜欢那个人。我必须更好地了解他。”)”可知，距离造成了隔阂，只有接近增加，理解才能增加。从而猜测proximity为“接近”之意。故选A。

3.

推理判断题。根据文章第二段“The Japanese writer Haruki Murakami once wrote, “Always remember that to argue, and win, is to break down the reality of the person you are arguing against. It is painful to lose your reality, so be kind, even if you are right.” (日本作家村上春树曾写道：“永远记住，要想辩论并取得胜利，就必须打破你所反对的人的现实。失去现实是痛苦的，所以要善良，即使你是对的。”)”可推断，作者引用了村上春树的话来暗示善良比正确更重要。故选B。

4.

推理判断题。根据文章第三段“However, during a meal, something about handing dishes around, unfolding napkins (餐巾纸) at the same moment, even asking a stranger to pass the salt makes us less likely to hold the belief that the outsiders who wear unusual clothes and speak in distinctive accents deserve to be sent home or attacked.(然而，在吃饭时，分发盘子，同时打开餐巾纸，甚至请陌生人递盐的做法，会让我们不太可能认为，穿着不寻常的衣服，说话有独特口音的外人应该被送回家或袭击)”和最后一段“This, I think, is a good method for actually changing someone’s mind. Develop a friendship. Share a meal. Gift a book. Be kind first, be right later. (我认为，这是一个真正改变别人想法的好方法。建立友谊。分享一顿饭。赠送一本书。先善良，后正确)”可推断，分享食物对于建立联系是有效的，因为它促进了人们之间的理解和宽容。故选D。