Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, may be less famous than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but most people remember at least one fact about him: he wrote the Declaration of Independence. That important document explained why the thirteen American colonies should become free form English rule.
Although Jefferson lived more than 200 years ago, there is much that we can learn from him today. Many of his ideas are interesting to modern youth. Here are some of the things he said and wrote:
Go and see. Jefferson believed that a free man obtains knowledge from many sources besides books and that personal investigation is important. When still a young man, he was appointed to a committee to find out whether the South Branch of the James River was deep enough to be used by large boats. While the other members of the committee sat in the state capitol and studied papers in the subject, Jefferson got into a canoe and made on-the-spot observations.
You can learn from everyone. In 1743 Jefferson was born into wealth. His father was an army colonel; his father was a member of an old and important family. By birth and by education he belonged to the highest social class. Yet, in a way when few noble persons ever spoke to those of humble origins except to give an order, Jefferson went out of his way to talk with gardeners, servants, and waiters. Making people feel comfortable enough to talk freely is a real art. Jefferson once said to the French nobleman, Lafayette “you must go into the people’s homes as I have done, you may find out why people are dissatisfied and understand the revolution that is threatening France.”
Judge for yourself. Jefferson refused to accept other people’s opinions without careful thought.
“Neither believe nor reject anything,” he wrote to his nephew, “because any other has rejected or believed it. Heaven has given you a mind for judging truth and error. Use it.”
Jefferson’s statements about allowing expression of opinion have long been American’s guides. He felt that the people “may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false, and to form a correct judgment. Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.
Do what you believe is right. In a free country there will always be conflicting ideas, and this is a source of strength. It is a conflict and not unquestioning agreement that keeps freedom alive. Though Jefferson was for many years the object of strong criticism, he never answered his critics. He expressed his philosophy in letters to his friend, General George Rogers Clarks who was also being unfairly criticized: “if you want to escape unfriendly comment, you should have remained within the sleepy line of regular duty. There are two sides to every question. If you take one side with decision and act on it with effect, those who take the other will of course resent your actions.”
1.Jefferson believed that ____.
A.a free man gets knowledge from books.
B.a free man gets knowledge from not only books but also many other sources.
C.a free man gets knowledge from personal investigation.
D.both B&C
2.Jefferson’s attitude towards people of humble origins _____.
A.was to look down upon them.
B.was to go to their homes.
C.was to look into their cooking pots and eat their bread.
D.was to treat them equally without any discrimination.
3.How would you understand the sentence “Heaven has given you a mind for judging truth and error”?
A.You must judge truth and error for yourself.
B.You cannot believe anything because any other person has believed it.
C.You cannot reject anything because any other person has rejected it.
D.Both B&C
4. The philosophy of Jefferson’s determination never to answer his critics was that ____.
A.the conflicting ideas are the sources of strength
B.unquestioning agreement keeps freedom alive
C.there are many sides to every question
D.he wants to be the object of criticism
5.What can you infer from the passage?
A.Thomas Jefferson was famous for his Declaration of Independence.
B.Many of Thomas Jefferson’s ideas are interesting to modern youth.
C.Declaration of Independence was a very important document.
D.Thomas Jefferson was less famous than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
解析:
1.D. 从文章第三段可以得知, 杰弗逊认为人不仅要从书本和其他资源获取知识, 同时还要通过实地的个人调查.
2.D. 从第四段得知, 他提倡深入到人民当中去体察民情. 他与出身卑微的人叫, 说明他希望人们都能不带歧视地平等对待出生卑微的人.
3.A. 杰弗逊谈到了上帝给了我们辨别对错的思想和能力, 这句话的意思是: 你天生有判断对错的能力, 你必须依靠自己进行判断.
4.A. 文章最后一段第二句话的意思是: 他认为没有必要回应那些批判他的人, 因为这种有冲突的思想才识力量的源泉.
5.B. 文章没有说杰弗逊是因为 <<独立宣言>> 才出名的; 文章告诉我们这是一部重要的文件, 并没有说非常重要; 文中说他可能不如华盛顿和林肯出名,但没有说成绝对. 所以我们只能断定年轻人对他的思想很感兴趣.
责任编辑：虫虫
