Science has a lot of uses. It can uncover laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there’s always a temptation(誘惑) to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author of The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation.

Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest book The Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren’t?

To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of disciplines(學(xué)科). Considering this, you might expect the book to be a dry recitation of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unorthodox(非常規(guī)的), and perhaps unfortunate, way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader’s attention. So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development, and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters.

On the whole, Brooks’s story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong or memorable characters, the more serious problems with The Social Animal lie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks’s attempt to translate his tale into science.

1.The author mentions the functions of science at the beginning of the passage to __________.

A. illustrate where science can be applied

B. demonstrate the value of Brooks’s new book

C. remind the reader of the importance of science

D. explain why many writers use science in their works

2.According to the author, which of the following could be a strength of the book?

A. Its strong basis. B. Its convincing points.

C. Its clear writing. D. Its memorable characters.

3.What is the author’s general attitude towards the book?

A. Contradictory. B. Supportive.

C. Cautious. D. Critical.

4.What is the author likely to write about after the last paragraph?

A. Problems with the book. B. Brooks’s life experiences.

C. Death of the characters. D. Brooks’s translation skills.

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：書面表達(dá)

18．假如你叫李華，你的好朋友李明英語聽力水平不高，每次考試因此失很多分．他很苦惱，特向你求助．請(qǐng)幫他分析他目前聽力存在的若干問題，并給他寫一封信提出一些切實(shí)可行的建議．
注意：=1．詞數(shù)100詞左右；
=2．可適當(dāng)發(fā)揮使行文連貫．
Dear Li Ming，
I'm sorry to hear that you are not doing very well in your English listening．As a result，you scored quite low in each test．
One reason is your limited vocabulary and another is the lack of practice．Here is my advice to help you out．First，you'd better make a plan to enlarge your vocabulary by memorizing a few words and expressions every day．Second，do spend a proper amount of time listening to English materials every day．On average，the time ranges from 10 to 20 minutes per day．Third，practice listening skills regularly．
As you know，hard work pays off．So long as you keep on trying，you're sure to make great progress．
Looking forward to your good news．

Yours，
Lihua

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：遼寧省莊河市2016-2017學(xué)年高二下學(xué)期期中考試英語試卷 題型：七選五

How to Make Friends

1. Indeed, there are many things in life which we alone cannot perform.

We need friends’ help. Friends are people who willingly and readily help us when we are in trouble, and show sympathy for us when we are in misery

2. For example, when we have passed the graduation examination and are looking for a job, we need experienced and reliable friends to guide us and help us on our way. A good friend is also an adviser, because our own points of view towards things may not be always right.  3.

Of course, we can make friends everywhere. However, I think the best place is school, where we are among a big number of boys and girls our own age, so it is easy to get to know one another in a short time. 4.

In order to make friends, we ourselves must be honest, noble-minded and kind-hearted whereby to leave a favorable impression on others since other people observe us the same way as we do.

At the same time, we should avoid bad friends, because they always do harm to us and moreover, they are dangerous to the people around. Worse still, they destroy our friendship with good friends. 5.

A. Indeed, seeking acquaintance with bad friends would be a serious mistake

B. A faithful friend is hard to find.

C. Therefore, it is necessary for us to seek advice from friends.

D. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

E. Besides, we can also make friends among the people who work with us in the community.

F. A proverb says “One man is not good enough to live alone in the world.”

G. The benefits of friendship are boundless and sometimes invisible.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：四川省畢業(yè)班第三次診斷性檢測(cè)英語試卷 題型：完形填空

I’m a boy of 12. Every Saturday night my family and I go out and______the homeless people in our city. There are hundreds of people______any food or______. We have been doing this for several months. We wanted to see______it was like in the life of a homeless person.

One special thing I’d like to______is, my family and I do not eat before we begin our _____, so we know how it feels to be______. We all get together in the kitchen and_____the food. Some of the meals are sandwiches and cookies and a bottle of water. ______my mum prepares a steaming _____delicious meal. We then______them all up. I like to write special notes on the bag like “ Best Wishes.”

A lot of people______homeless people. But not all of them are drug addicts or bad people. Some are______nice. Some just had bad things that led to them.

At first, we had to gain their_____, because a lot of people are_____to them for no good reasons. But now that they see us every week, they______have faith in us. We all have to remember that these are people who have______.

Some of them shake our hands for_____them food. Some sing and dance happily.

After we finished feeding the homeless, it makes me_____what I have at home. I love feeding the homeless, and making a/an_____in someone’s life.

1.A. greet B. feed C. visit D. attend

2.A. without B. with C. between D. away from

3.A. parents B. strength C. family D. shelter

4.A. how B. what C. that D. which

5.A. charge B. expect C. mention D. do

6.A. ride B. walk C. performance D. journey

7.A. hungry B. curious C. fearful D. tense

8.A. taste B. eat C. prepare D. share

9.A. sometime B. sometimes C. some times D. some time

10.A. cold B. cool C. strange D. hot

11.A. bag B. break C. use D. give

12.A. concern B. save C. misunderstand D. adopt

13.A. even B. still C. just D. seldom

14.A. money B. trust C. name D. address

15.A. ashamed B. familiar C. unfriendly D. embarrassed

16.A. unusually B. generally C. especially D. gradually

17.A. tasks B. goals C. feelings D. methods

18.A. receiving B. offering C. taking D. providing

19.A. appreciate B. accept C. spread D. waste

20.A. experiment B. fortune C. report D. difference

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：山東省2017屆高三4月“圓夢(mèng)之旅”（九）英語試卷 題型：短文填空

Jane was walking round the department store. She remembered how difficult1.was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father. She wished that he was as easy 2.（please）as her mother，who was always delighted with perfume.

Besides，shopping at this time of the year was not 3. pleasant experience: people stepped on your feet or 4.（push）you with their elbows（肘部），hurrying ahead to get to a bargain.

Jane paused in front of a counter 5. some attractive ties were on display. “They are real silk，”the assistant tried to attract her. “Worth double the price.” But Jane knew from past experience that her 6.（choose）of ties hardly ever pleased her father.

Jane stopped where a small crowd of men had gathered. She found some good quality pipes 7. sale. She did not hesitate for long: although her father smoked a pipe only once in a while, she knew that this was a present which was bound to please 8..

When Jane got home，with her small but well-chosen present in her bag，her parents were already 9. table having supper. Her mother was excited. “Your father has at last decided to stop smoking,” Jane 10.（inform）.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：選擇題

5．Last winter，many places of southern China were struck by heavy snowsorms，__________more than 120people were killed．（　　）
A．from whichB．for whichC．at whichD．in which

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：填空題

12．I knowyou are dying to hear all about my life here．
我知道你急于了解我在這里的情況．

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：選擇題

9．At the sight of the         snake，the girl was          and cried for help．（　　）
A．frightened；frighteningB．frightening；frightening
C．frightened；frightenedD．frightening；frightened

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

9．Royale is surrounded by deep blue waters of Lake Superior，the largest freshwater lake on Earth．The only way to get there is by boat or sea plane．The National Park Service operates shuttle boats that take visitors to Isle Royale．The boats leave from two Michigan ports．A boat trip to Isle Royale takes three to five hours．Waters are often extremely rough．
    Modern copper mining began in the late 1800s，resulting in large areas of the island being burned．This led to settlement development．Soon，Isle Royale became popular for summer homes．It became a national park on April 3，1940．In 1980，officials named it an International Biosphere Reserve（生物圈保護(hù)區(qū)）because of its unique ecosystem．
    Isle Royale offers hiking，camping，boating，and even scuba diving．The National Park Service protects 11sunken（沉沒的）boats for divers to explore．They are reminders of Lake Superior's commercial shipping history．The sunken wooden ship called The America is one of the most popular dive sites．The America carried passengers，mail，and supplies to many towns along the shores of Lake Superior．It first launched in 1898，and was used until 1928，when it was damaged．It sank to the bottom of the lake soon after．
    Visitors to Isle Royale share the trails with a well-studied population of wolves．Scientists believe wolves walked there during a freeze of the lake sometime in the 1940s．Researchers closely record their population numbers．Much of the research takes place during the winter，when the trees are bare．The researchers fly over the island to observe the animals from above．
    Animal research is the only winter activity going on at Isle Royale．The national park is closed each year in late October because of the terrible weather conditions and reopens in spring time the next year．
    But for the other months of the year，Isle Royale offers green forests，and clear blue waters．Its excellent scenery and unusual location keep visitors returning year after year．

28．What is mainly talked about in the first paragraph？A
A．The access to the island．B．The island's location．
C．The island's natural environment．D．The island's basic information．
29．How long is the history of the National Park？B
A．More than two centuries．B．Over seventy years．
C．Less than forty years．D．Over one hundred years．
30．The sunken boats and ship are considered asD．
A．a(chǎn) site where people seek pleasure and wealth
B．a(chǎn) lesson that reminds people to remember the disasters
C．a(chǎn)n underwater museum where people can see many relics
D．a(chǎn) history book that shows the commercial shipping in the area
31．The researchers fly over the island in winter becauseB．
A．there are more animals then
B．they can have a clear look at the animals there
C．they don't intend to disturb the animals
D．the island can't be reached with the lake frozen．

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案