The twentieth century saw greater changes than any century before : changes for the better , changes for the worse ; changes that brought a lot of benefits to human beings , changes that put man in danger . Many things caused the changes , but , in my opinion , the most important was the progress in science .
Scientific research in physics and biology has vastly broadened our views . It has given us a deeper knowledge of the structure of matter and of the universe ; it has brought us a better understanding of the nature of life and of its continuous development . Technology in the application of science has made big advances that have benefited us in nearly every part of life .
The continuation of such activitites in the twenty-first century will result in even greater advantages to human beings : in pure science―a wider and deeper knowledge in all fields of learning ; in applied science―a more reasonable sharing of material benefits , and better protection of the environment .
Sadly , however , there is another side to the picture . The creativity of science has been employed in doing damage to mankind . The application of science and technology to the development and production of weapons of mass destruction has created a real danger to the continued existence of the human race on this planet . We have seen this happen in the case of nuclear weapons . Although their actual use has so far occurred only in the Second World War , the number of nuclear weapons that were produced and made ready for use was so large that if the weapons had actually been used , the result could have been the ruin of the human race , as well as of many kind
s of animals .
William Shakespeare said , “ The web of our life is of a mingled yarn(纱线), good and ill together .” The above brief review of the application of only one part of human activities—science seems to prove what Shakespeare said . But does it have to be so ? Must the ill always go together with the good ? Are we biologically programmed for war ?
1. Which of the following best shows the stucture of the passage ?
![]() |
|||||||
![]() |
|||||||
![]() |
|||||||
![]() |
|||||||
(①="Paragraph1" , ②=" Paragraph" 2,③=" Paragraph" 3,④=" Paragraph" 4,⑤=" Paragraph" 5)
2. From the fourth paragraph , we can infer that __________.
A. a great many nuclear weapons were actually used for war
B. a large numbe
r of nuclear weapons should have been used for war
C. the author is doubtful about the rui
n of human beings by nuclear weapons
D. the author is anxious about the huge number of unclear weapons on the earth
3. The underlined word “ mingled ” in the last paragraph most probably means__________.
A. simple B. mixed C. sad D. happy
4. What do you think the author is most likely to suggest if he continues to write ?
A. Further application of science to war .
B. More reading of William Shakespeare .
C. Proper use of science in the new century .
D. Effective ways to separate the good from the ill .