综合英语课文问题

Groundless Beliefs

1. (1) Money is dirty

I think it is groundless. We often say that “Time is money”, if “money is dirty”, then time is dirty.

(2) Man will struggle to conquer nature

It is one-side. Take the earthquake and tsunami in Japan for example, human can not avoid natural damage and conquer nature.

(3) We must save every penny to support our national reconstruction

Not always true. If market isn’t prosperity, we should spend money buying goods to expend domestic demand instead of saving penny.

(4) Many hands made light work

Not always true. It sometimes will lead to poor efficiency.

2. (1) Result of our early childhood. During childhood, we hadn’t developed that power of questioning anything that might be told to us. Many of our strongest convictions were established then.

(2) Parroting. We picked up new ideas by chance and adopted as our own without question. Most people, most time, are mere parrots.

(3) Self-interest. We adopt and cling to some beliefs because it pays us to do so. Self-interest can lead you a “somebody” in some circle and if you abandon it, you will find yourself nobody at all.

(4) Sentimental associations. The thought is associated with memories of particular persons who held similar opinions. It is true that friendly feelings to a man have an effect in disposing us to feel friendly to his view.

(5) Fashion. We trace fashion everywhere. We tend very strongly to feel and to believe as others are feeling and believing.

3. Some of our new ideas are also groundless. Of course, we do not cease to think everyday, but most people are mere parrots. We tend to accept only such new ideas as fit in with the ideas we already hold; and all conflicting ideas seem to us “obviously” absurd. What’s more, our careful thinking is influenced by self-interest, sentimental associations and fashion. When thinking, we might consider that whether the idea is of benefit for ourselves. So, we can’t rely on the result of our careful thinking.

4. (1) I agree with the author that many of us are merely “parroting”, when we think we are thinking. Because that it is the mere “parroting” of ideas picked up by chance and adopted as our own without question. Most people, most time, are mere parrots.

(2) It doesn’t mean that we should never accept other people’s ideas as true. Because many of other people’s ideas are true, and we should accept other people’s ideas rationally.

(3) It doesn’t mean that all transitional views are false. Some transitional views