閱讀理解。
Kong Zi, also called Confucius (551-479 B.C), and Socrates (469-399 B. C) lived only a hundred years
apart, and during their lifetimes there was no contact between China and Greece, but it is interesting to look
at how the world that each of these great philosophers came from shaped their ideas, and how these ideas
in turn,shaped their societies.
Neither philosopher lived in times of peace, though there were more wars un Greece than in China. The
Chinese states were very large and feudal, while the Greek city-states were small and urban. The urban
environment in which Socrates lived allowed him to be more radical than Confucius. Unlike Confucius,
Socrates was not asked by rules how to govern effectively. Thus, Socrates was able to be more idealistic,
focusing on issues like freedom, and knowledge for its own sake. Confucius, on the other hand, advised
those in government service, and many of his students went out to government service.
Confucius suggested the Golden Rule as a principle for the conduct of life:"Do not do to others what you
would not want others to do to you." He assumed that all men were equal at birth, though some bad more
potential than others, and that it was knowledge that set men apart. Socrates focused on the individual, and
thought that the greatest purpose of man was to seek wisdom. He believed that the superior class should rule
the inferior (下層的) classes.
For Socrates, the family was of no importance, and the community of little concern. For Confucius,
however, the family was the centre of the society, with family relations considered much more important
than political relations. Both men are respected much more today than they were in their lifetimes.
1. Which of the following is TURE according to the first paragraph?
A. Socrates and Confucius had much in common.
B. Confucius had much influence on Socrates' ideas.
C. The societies ware influenced by the philosophers' ideas.
D. There were cultural exchanges between China and Greece.
2. Socrates shared with Confucius the idea that _____.
A. all men were equal when they were born
B. the lower classed should be ruled by the upper class
C. the purpose of man was to seek freedom and wisdom
D. people should not ask others to do what they did not want to
3. What made some people different from others according to Confucius?
A. Family.
B. Potential.
C. Knowledge.
D. Community.
4. This passage is organized in the pattern of _____.
A. time and events
B. comparison and contrast
C. cause and effect
D. definition and classification
