It is hard to predict how science is going to turn out, and if it is really good science it is impossible to predict. If the things to be found are actually new, they are by definition unknown in advance. You cannot make choices in this matter. You either have science or you don't, and if you have it you are obliged to accept the surprising and disturbing pieces of information, along with the neat and promptly useful hits,
The only solid piece of scientific truth abut which I feel totally confident is that we are profoundly ignorant about nature. Indeed, I regard this as the major discovery of the past hundred years of biology. It is, in its way, an illuminating piece of news. It would have amazed the brightest minds of the 18th. century Enlightenment to be told by any of us how little we know and how bewildering seems the way ahead. It is this sudden confrontation with the depth and scope of ignorance that represents the most significant contribution of the 20th century science to the human intellect. In earlier times, we either pretended to understand how things worked or ignored the problem, or simply made up stories to fill the gaps. Now that we have begun exploring in earnest, we are getting glimpses of how huge the questions are, and how far from being answered. Because of this, we are depressed. It is not so bad being ignorant if you are totally ignorant; the hard thing is knowing in some detail the reality of ignorance, the worst spots and here and there the not-so-bad spots, but no true light at the end of the tunnel nor even any tunnels that can yet be trusted.
But we are making a beginning, and there ought to be some satisfaction. There are probably no questions we can think up that can' t be answered, sooner or later, including even the matter of consciousness. To be sure, there may well be questions we can't think up and therefore limits to the reach of human intellect, but that is another matter. Within our limits, we should be able to work our way through to all our answers, if we keep at it long enough, and pay attention.
According to the author, really good science ______.
A.would surprise the brightest minds of the 18th century Enlightenment
B.will help people to make the right choice in advance
C.will produce results which cannot be foreseen
D.will bring about disturbing results
时间:2023-10-04 04:59:15
相似题目
-
It is important for the teacher to show students how easy it is to understand something from authentic materials rather than how difficult it is to understand everything.()
A . 正确
B . 错误
-
Climate change makes it is difficult to predict how our nose will change.
-
It is important that we____learn how to drive.
-
It is important to know how to make a proper introduction.
-
It is so hard for her to keep _____ her tears.
-
原文:It is easy to open a shop but hard to keep it open.译文:创业容易______。
-
How far is it from Chicago to Miami?
-
It is useful to be able to predict the extent _______which a price changes will affect supply and demand.
-
It is hard to tell whether we are going to have b boom in the economy or a ______.
-
We all believe that it is hard for him to take up other (responsible)_______ now.
-
Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an airplane's computers?
A.Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane.
B.Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to be interfered with.
C.Because research scientists have not been to produce the same effects in labs.
D.Because experts lack adequate equipment to do such research.
此题为多项选择题。
-
Trader is a stressful job because it's hard to
A.predict the markets.
B.decide the schedule.
C.choose the position.
-
It is useful to be able to predict the extent to which a price change will affect supply and demand.
A.物价变化对需求产生影响,能预见价格变化的程度是很有用的。
B.能预测物价变化对供求的影响程度是很有用的。
C.供求对物价能起反拨作用。预先得知其中的奥妙,必有好处。
D.物价变化对供求关系起作用。如有能力预测其产生的影响将大有益处。
-
It is useful to be able to predict the extent to which a price change will affect supply and demand.
A.物价变化对需求产生影响,能预见价格变化的程度是很有用的。
B.能预测物价变化对供求的影响程度是很有用的。
C.供求对物价能起反拨作用。预先得知其中的奥妙,必有好处。
D.物价变化对供求关系起作用。如有能力预测其产生的影响将大有益处。
-
It’s hard for us to know how much ____________ they have put in China’s Space ____________.
-
How far is it from here to the railway station?
A) Yes, I live here.
B) Yes, it's the railway station.
C) No, it's not very far.
D) 20 minutes'walk.
-
The room is so ______ with furniture—that it is hard to move about.
A.muddled
B.cluttered
C.distributed
D.scattered
-
—Have you finished the work?—Not yet, but no matter how hard it is, we'll keep ___ u
A.A.failed
B.B.trying
C.C.tried
D.D.failing
-
Any physical theory is always provisional, in the sense that it is only a hypothesis: you can never prove it. No matter how many times the results of experiments agree with some theory, you can never be sure that the next time the result will not contradict the theory. On the other hand, you can disprove a theory by finding even a single observation that disagrees with the predictions of the theory. As philosopher of science, Karl Popper has emphasized a good theory is characterized by the fact that it makes a number of predictions that could in principle be disproved or falsified by observation. Each time new experiments are observed to agree with the predictions the theory survives, and our confidence in it is increased; but if ever a new observation is found to disagree, we have to abandon or modify the theory. At least that is what is supposed to happen, but you can always question the competence of the person who carried out the observation.
In practice, what often happens is that a new theory is devised that is really an extension of the previous theory. For example, very accurate observations of the planet Mercury revealed a small difference between its motion and the predictions of Newton's theory of gravity. Einstein's general theory of relativity predicted a slightly different motion from Newton's theory. The fact that Einstein's predictions matched what was seen, while Newton's did not, was one of the crucial confirmations of the new theory. However, we still use Newton's theory for all practical purposes because the difference between its predictions and those of general relativity is very small in the situations that we normally deal with. (Newton's theory also. has the great advantage that it is much simpler to work with than Einstein's ! )
It turns out to be very difficult to devise a theory to describe the universe all in one go. Instead, we break the problem up into bits and invent a number of partial theories. Each of these partial theories describes and predicts a certain limited class of observations, neglecting the effects of other quantities, or representing them by simple sets of numbers. It may be that this approach is completely wrong. If everything in the universe depends on everything else in a fundamental way, it might be impossible to get close to a full solution by investigating parts of the problem in isolation. Nevertheless, it is certainly the way that we have made progress in the past. The classic example again is the Newtonian theory of gravity, which tells us that the gravitational force between two bodies depends only on one number associated with each body, its mass, but is otherwise independent of what the bodies are made of. Thus one does not need to have a theory of the structure and constitution of the sun and the planets in order to calculate their orbits:
Today scientists describe the universe in terms of two basic partial theories-the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. They are the great intellectual achievements of the first half of this century. Unfortunately, however, these two theories are known to be inconsistent with each other-they cannot both be correct. One of the major endeavours in physics today, is the search for a new theory that will incorporate them both-a quantum theory of gravity. We do not yet have such a theory, and we may still be long way from having one, but we do already know many of the properties that it must have.
According to the passage, why can't any physical theory be permanently established?
A.Such a theory is only suggested as a possible way of explaining an idea.
B.The person proposing such a theory may be incompetent.
C.Observations always disagree with predictions.
D.Observations are always falsified by predictions.
-
Man’s mind is his tool Of survival.The mind is used to gain,use,store,and recall knowledge.It is his mind that enables a famer t0 know what t0 plant,when to harvest it,how to prepare food from the result.It is his mind that enables a hunter to know what he needs to make a spear,how t0 make it,and how to use it.And it is his mind that enables a blacksmith to know how t0 make iron tools.In short,it i s the mind that enables a person to know what to d0 in order tOosurvive.
Man’s mind allows long—range planning and thinking.It enables such long—range planning as required for farming,hunting,and tool making.These efforts require the ability to form. concepts of long—term cause and effect chains.“I need t0 make a spear tonight SO I can hunt tomorrow and have food for the next 7 days.”There may be environments where people could survive for a while without long—range planning,but without the results 0f knowledge like spears,fire,and 0ther technologies,people would get out—bred by Other animals and die out。
Man’s mind is his tool for survival,but like all tools,it must be properly used.The mind makes good use 0f knowledge,and knowledge can only be 0btained through reason.Without reason,there is no knowledge,and thus no survival。
You must recognize reality and act in accordance with it in order t0 be successful.To the extent that you use reason as your method of judgment in knowledge and action,you will survive and flourish .If you ignore or escape form. reality you will suffer and die.
It is very important t0 note that survival by reason requires the freedom to act according t0 your reason.That is why people d0 not develop well in the control of others,and can not survive when they are subject t0 foree that destroys their ability to act on reason.
26.It is his mind that enables a farmer t0 know how to_______.
A.make spears
B.hunt for animals
C.make iron tools
D.cultivate crops
27.The first two paragraphs show that man’s mind______.
A. is his basic means Of survival
B. enables him to act at will
C. is used to protect themselves
D. helps him 100k int0 reality
28. In order to survive,man should_______.
A.be conquered by 0thel"allimals
B.make a long—range plan for the future
C.1earn to recall knowledge
D.1earn to think reasonably
29.Without the results Of knowledge like spears,fire,and Other technologies,people_____.
A.Could only survive for7 days
B.would kill off a11 the animals
C.would be controlled by 0thers
D.would disappear from the earth
30.It is reasonable that if people want to survive,they should______.
A.develop well in the control of others
B.ignore or escape from reality
C.have freedom to act on reason
D.be subject to certain environments
-
It is always raining hard.I’m afraid we have to ____the trip.
A.put off
B.put on
C.put away
D.put out
-
It is hard to distinguish the twins because they _____()
A.look like
B.look likely
C.look alike
D.look same
-
听力原文:W: How is your job at the supermarket M: Well, it’s rather hard work. The hours a听力原文:W: How is your job at the supermarket M: Well, it’s rather hard work. The hours are pretty long. I already feel difficult to keep up with my classmates. What is the man worried about ()
A.He does not earn as much money as his classmates.
B.He does not work as well as his classmates.
C.He does not get enough pay for his ’hard work.
D.He does not have enough time for his study.
-
– It is reported that it will rain hard next Sunday. -- _______. We’re planning to go boating that day.
A.I don’t think so
B.I hope so
C.I’m afraid not
D.I hope not