1.  阅读理解

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.
(2) Which category might "Christmas" fall into according to paragraph 4? A. Social constructionism. B. Anti-realism. C. Biological realism. D. Literary realism.
(3) What is Black No More in paragraph 5 mainly about? 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.
(4) What is the best title of the text? A. Stories Made Easy B. Stories to Think with C. Positions in Philosophy D. Nature of Philosophical Writing
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1. 阅读理解

    Humans have been keeping animals as pets for tens of thousands of years, but Dr. Jean-Loup Rault, an animal scientist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, believes new companions are coming: robot pets.

    “Technology is moving very fast,” Rault told ABC News, “The Tamagotchi in the early 1990s was really the first robotic pet, and now Sony and other big companies have improved them a lot.”

    This may not sit well with pet lovers. After all, who would choose a plastic toy over a lovely puppy? But Rault argues that the robotic kind has a lot going for it: “You don't have to feed it, you don't have to walk it, it won't make a mess in your house, and you can go on a holiday without feeling guilty.” The technology also benefits those who are allergic to pets, short on space, or fearful of real animals.

    It's not clear whether robot pets can replace real ones. But studies do suggest that we can bond with these smart machines. People give their cars names and kids give their toy animals life stories. It's the same with robots. When Sony stopped its repair service for its robot dog Aibo in March 2014, owners in Japan held funerals.

    As an animal welfare researcher, Rault is concerned about how robotic pets could affect our attitudes towards live animals. “If we become used to a robotic companion that doesn't need food, water or exercises, perhaps it will change how humans care about other living beings,” he said.

    So are dogs and cats a thing of the past, as Rault predicts? For those who grew up with living and breathing pets, the mechanical kind might not do. But for our next generation who are in constant touch with smart technology, a future in which lovely pets needn't have a heartbeat might not be a far-fetched dream.

(1) What does the underlined phrase “sit well with” means? A. be refused by B. be beneficial to C. make a difference to D. receive support from
(2) What are the advantages of robot pets?

a. They are plastic and feel smooth.

b. Owners needn't worry about them when going out.

c. They can help cure allergies.

d. They save space and costs.

A. ab B. bc C. bd D. cd
(3) The passage mainly tells us ______. A. the advantages of robot toys B. the popularity of robot pets C. living pets are dying out D. robot pets are coming
阅读理解 普通
2. 阅读理解

    Can you be too beautiful? It is hardly a problem that most of us have to bother — as much as we might like to dream that it were the case.

    Yet the blessings and curses of beauty have been a long-standing interest in psychology. Do those blessed with shiny faces and an attractive body live in a cloud of appreciation — or does it sometimes pay to be ordinary?

    At the most basic level, beauty might be thought to carry a kind of halo (光环) around it; we see that someone has one good quality, and by association, our deep mind may assume that they have other good ones too.

    Even in the courts, a pleasing appearance can work its magic. Attractive criminals are likely to get less strict sentences, or to escape punishment entirely; attractive plaintiffs (原告), meanwhile, are more likely to win their case and get bigger financial settlements. “It's an effect seen everywhere,” says Walker.

    But if beauty pays in most circumstances, there are still situations where it can have opposite results. While attractive men may be considered better leaders, for instance, hidden sexist prejudices (偏见) can work against attractive women, making them less likely to be hired for high-level jobs that require power. And as you might expect, good-looking people of both sexes run into envy — one study found that if you are interviewed by someone of the same sex, they may be less likely to employ you if they judge that you are more attractive than they are.

    More worryingly, being beautiful or handsome could harm your medical care. We tend to link good looks to health, meaning that illnesses are often taken less seriously when they affect the good-looking. When treating people for pain, for instance, doctors tend to take less care over the more attractive people.

    Ultimately, scientists point out that focusing too much on your appearance can itself be harmful if it creates stress and anxiety — even for those already blessed with good looks. “If you are crazy about attractiveness, it may affect your experience and interactions,” she says. It's an outdated saying, but no amount of beauty can make up for a bad personality. As the writer Dorothy Parker put it so elegantly: “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”

(1) From paragraph 1, we can learn that _______. A. some may be bothered by their unattractive appearance B. most people are not afraid of being too beautiful C. we might always dream about being bothered by others D. being too beautiful can be a problem bothering everyone
(2) Which is the benefit for beautiful people? A. All attractive plaintiffs have more chances to get away with punishment. B. Women with pleasing appearance will always be considered as better leaders. C. Good-looking people are often regarded as having many good qualities. D. Beautiful criminals are more likely to persuade the judge and win the case.
(3) The writer mentioned the underlined sentence in the last paragraph to _______. A. persuade us to pay more attention to our looks from now on B. suggest that beauty can help make a better personality C. encourage us to focus more on improving our personality D. ask ugly people to have more confidence in their personality
(4) What might be the best title for the passage? A. Beauty, a blessing? B. Sexist Prejudice. C. Real beauty. D. Benefits Beauty holds.
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