Lots of people have hobbies. Some people collect old coins or foreign stamps; so

Lots of people havehobbies. Some people collect old coins or foreign stamps; some do needlework;others spend most of their spare time on a particular sport.

A lot of peopleenjoy reading. But reading tastes differ widely. Some people only readnewspapers or comics, some like reading novels, while others prefer books onastronomy, wildlife, or technological discoveries.

If I happen to beinterested in horses or precious stones, I cannot expect everyone else to sharemy enthusiasm. If I watch all the sports programs on TV with great pleasure, Imust put up with the fact that other people find sports boring.

Is there nothingthat interests us all? Is there nothing that concerns everyone—no matter whothey are or where they live in the world? Yes, dear Sophie, there are questionsthat certainly should interest everyone. They are precisely the questions thiscourse is about.

What is the mostimportant thing in life? If we ask someone living on the edge of starvation,the answer is food. If we ask someone dying of cold, the answer is warmth. Ifwe put the same question to someone who feels lonely and isolated, the answerwill probably be the company of other people.

But when these basicneeds have been satisfied—will there still be something that everybody needs?Philosophers think so. They believe that man cannot live by bread alone. Ofcourse everyone needs food. And everyone needs love and care. But there issomething else—apart from that—which everyone needs, and that is to figure outwho we are and why we are here.

Being interested inwhy we are here is not a “casual” interest like collecting stamps. People whoask such questions are taking part in a debate that has gone on as long as manhas lived on this planet. How the universe, the earth, and life came into beingis a bigger and more important question than who won the most gold medals inthe last Olympics.

1. This text is most probably taken from __________. 

A. a research paper                 B.a course schedule

C. a personal letter                    D.a book review

2. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

A. Philosophicalquestions are as interesting as collecting stamps.

B. Thinking aboutphilosophical questions is a serious interest.

C. Figuring out whowe are and why we are here is man’s basic needs.

D. Philosophy hasuniversal appeal and concerns everybody in nature.

3. The author believes that __________.

A. no existingsubject can interest everyone in the world

B. different peoplemay have different interests and concerns

C. everyone has tofigure out who we are and why we are here

D. people in modernsociety pay more attention to philosophical questions

试题答案

【答案】

1. C                  2. D              3. C

【解析】