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Unit 8 Knowledge and Wisdom
Key to the Exercises
Text comprehension
I.
II.
Judge, according to the
text, whether the following statements are true or
false.
1.
F (Refer to
Paragraph 2. The study of the composition of
atoms, or the development
of the atom
bomb, for example, has placed in the hands of
powerful lunatics the means to
destroy
the human race.)
2.
T (Refer to Paragraph 2. This has
become more difficult than it used to be owing to
the
extent
and
complexity
of
the
specialized
knowledge
required
of
various
kinds
of
technicians.)
3.
T (Refer to Paragraph 3. Although he
had a comprehensive knowledge of history, he
was still partial as the chief lesson
of history which he sought to inculcate was that
from
the year 400AD down to his own
time Germany had been the most important nation
and
the standard-bearer of progress in
the world.)
4.
F
(Refer to Paragraph 4. It is true that both Mr. A
and Mr. B possess some vices of
their
respective kinds, but the fact does not prove that
they are wise or unwise.)
5.
F
(Refer
to
paragraph
5.
The
mistake
lies
in
the
extremity
of
the
statement.
According to Russell, man cannot free
himself entirely from the physical and emotional
need, so one can only grow in wisdom,
which itself is a matter of degree.)
III.
Answer the
following questions.
1.
Refer to Paragraph 2. A sense of
proportion could be seen as the ability to take
into
full consideration all important
factors in an issue and attach due weight to each
factor.
2.
Refer
to Paragraphs 1 and 2. In the first place, they
are examples of the idea raised at
the
very
beginning
of
the
text:
our
age
far
surpasses
all
previous
ages
in
knowledge, there has been no
correlative increase in wisdom.
the
essay,
is
partly
due
to
the
fact
that
it
is
now
more
difficult
to
acquire
a
sense
of
proportion, or the
ability to assign appropriate weights to various
factors, thus achieving
balance.
In
consequence,
breakthroughs
in
science
are
likely
to
bring
about
harms
if
humankind
fails
to
see
the
end
of
science
and
consider
everything
in
a
comprehensive
manner.
3.
Refer to Paragraphs 1 to 4. According
to Russell, the vices of the lack of wisdom are
obvious and palpable, ranging from
disturbance to public life, most notably the upset
of
world
peace,
to
unpleasant
incidents
in
private
life.
Meanwhile,
there
seems
to
be
an
Decide which
of the following best states the author's
argument.
C
imbalance in the growth of knowledge
and wisdom, which is very likely to make things
even worse. So, wisdom is necessary for
both personal and cultural developments.
4.
Refer to Paragraph 5. According to
Russell, the essence of wisdom is impartiality, or
emancipation from egoistic or temporal
concerns. It is naturally difficult for man to
attain
impartiality, as man is
naturally bound up by his own physical states from
his birth. As he
grows up,
however,
his
horizon
widens,
his
concerns
get
beyond
the
limits
of
time
and
space,
and
his
feelings
become
more
impersonal,
hence
the
growth
of
impartiality
and
wisdom.
5.
Apart from
the fact that it is one of the ingredients of
wisdom, impartiality is also the
basis
of rationality, for irrationality is normally
based on partiality.
IV.
Explain in your own
words the following sentences.
1.
It would be unwise to pursue a goal
that is bound to fail, although it might be noble
to do so.
2.
I
think the essence of wisdom is to get one's
horizon free from the confinement of
time and space.
Structural analysis of the text
Paragraph
2:
Of
these
I
should
put
first
a
sense
of
proportion:
the
capacity
to
take
account of all the important factors in
a problem and to attach to each its due weight.
Paragraph 3: There must be, also, a
certain awareness of the ends of human life.
Paragraph 4: It is needed in the choice
of ends to be pursued and in emancipation from
personal prejudice.
Paragraph 5: I think the essence of
wisdom is emancipation, as far as possible, from
the
tyranny of the here and now.
Four
factors
that
constitute
wisdom:
comprehensiveness
mixed
with
a
sense
of
proportion;
a
full
awareness
of
the
goals
of
human
life;
avoidance
of
blindness
and
prejudice in private life;
impartiality.
Rhetorical
features of the text
The
capacity
to
take
account
of
all
the
important
factors
in
a
problem
and
to
attach
to
each
its due weight. (Paragraph 2)
This
has
the
entirely
unintended
result
of
making
the
food
supply
inadequate
and
lowering the standard of life in the
most populous parts of the world. (Paragraph 2)
Perhaps one could stretch the
comprehensiveness that constitutes wisdom to
include not
only intellect but also
feeling. (Paragraph 3)
It is not only
in public ways, but in private life equally, that
wisdom is needed. (Paragraph
4)
Vocabulary exercises
I.
Explain the underlined part
in each sentence in your own words.
1.
consider
(when
judging
a
situation)/take
into
consideration,
give
proper
value
to
each/attach adequate importance to each
2.
Certainly/Very probably, brought a good
and helpful effect to mankind, in reality/in
actual situations
3.
talk (disapprovingly) about
something less worthy or less important, destroy
or ruin
each other
4.
connected with/dependent on
5.
accordingly
II.
Fill in the blank in each sentence with
a word taken from the box in its appropriate
form.
1. pursue
2. ceased
3. attainable
4.
enmity
5. populous
6. surpassed
7. impartial
8. appallingly
III.
Fill in the blanks with
the appropriate forms of the given words.
1. beneficiaries
3. horizontally
5.
increasingly
7. unduly
2.
undesirable
4. descendants
6. philosophical
8.
standardization
IV.
Fill in
the blank(s) in each sentence with an appropriate
phrasal verb or collocation
taken from
the text.
1.
required of
2. sought to
3.
descended to
4. put first
5. contributed to
6. engage in
7.
conferred
8. upon
9. bound up with
V.
Give a synonym or an antonym of the
word underlined in each sentence in the sense
it is used.
1.
Antonym: following
(subsequent, succeeding)
2.
Synonym: enhance (advance)
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