36. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the author?
A) Everyone has a right to hold his own opinion.
B) Free expression of opinions often leads to confusion.
C) Most people tend to be careless in forming their opinions.
D) Casual use of the word “opinion” often brings about quarrels.(A)
37. According to the author, who of the following would be labored as intolerant?
A) Someone who turns a deaf ear to others’ opinions.
B) Someone who can’t put up with others’ tastes.
C) Someone who values only their own opinions.
D) Someone whose opinion harms other people.(B)
38. The new Ford cars are cited as an example to show that ________.
A) it is foolish to criticize a famous brand
B) one should not always agree to others’ opinions
C) personal tastes are not something to be challenged
D) it is unwise to express one’s likes and dislikes in public(C)
39. Considered judgment is different from personal preference in that ________.
A) it is stated by judges in the court
B) it reflects public like and dislikes
C) it is a result of a lot of controversy
D) it is based on careful thought(D)
40. As indicated in the passage, being free to act on one’s opinion ________.
A) means that one can ignore other people’s criticism
B) means that one can impose his preferences on others
C) doesn’t mean that one has the right to do things at will
D) doesn’t mean that one has the right to charge others without evidence(C)
这篇材料讲的是“观点”，虽然有五段之多，但主要论述的内容实际上只有一个：观点到底是什么。文章的结构是这样的，开头提出几个观点，如人人都有权表达自己的观点(Everyone’s entitled to his opinion)，挑战别人观点的人总是被贴上偏狭的标签(anyone who would challenge another’s opinion is likely to be branded intolerant)。注意，intolerant不是无法忍受的意思，而是“不容异己、偏执”等意思，“无法忍受的”应是intolerable。而后，作者指出这些观点的对错必须根据观点的定义来判断(depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind)，从而为论述观点的不同定义做好准备。
第二段论述了观点的第一个定义：一种个人偏好(by opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of taste)。作者以某人对新车的评论为例，指出，挑战这类观点不但是偏狭的(intolerant)，而且是愚蠢行为。
接下来是另外一个例子，最高法院将其“观点”递交给一个争议不休的案子(Supreme Court has delivered its opinion in a controversial case)。这个例子中的观点体现的不再是个人的偏好(their personal preferences, their mere likes and dislikes)，而是对一种经过深思熟虑之后的判断的传达(they stated their considered judgment)。这是观点的第二个定义。
这两个定义回答了“挑战别人观点的人总是被贴上偏狭的标签”的对错问题。
最后，作者又论述了观点的第三种定义。作者把上述两种定义视为观点的两种极端(two extremes)，而大多数观点处于这二者之间，既不是个人偏好，也不是深思熟虑过的结论(It is not an expression of taste. Nor is it careful judgment)，而是融合了这两方面的内容。
这一定义回应了“人人都有权表达自己的观点”这一说法。作者在最后一段指出这种说法不仅是被允许的，而且是受到保护的，只要其观点不伤害到别人(so long as, in doing so, we do not harm others)。
责任编辑：虫虫
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