Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
Scientists, like other human beings, have their hopes and fears, their passions and disap-
pointments and their strong emotions may sometimes interrupt the course of clear thinking
and sound practice. But science is also self - correcting. The most fundamental principles and
conclusions may be challenged. The steps in a reasoned argument must be set out for all to see.
Experiments must be capable of being carried out by other scientists. The history of science is
full of cases where previously accepted theories have been entirely overthrown, to be replaced by
new ideas which more adequately explain the data.
While there is an understandable inertia - usually lasting about one generation - such
revolution in scientific thought are widely accepted as a necessary and desirable element of scientific progress. Indeed, the reasoned criticism of a prevailing belief is a service to the supporters of that belief; if they are incapable of defending it, they are well - advised to abandon it. This self -questioning and error- correcting aspect of the scientific method is its most striking property and sets it off from many other areas of human endeavor, such as religion and fine arts.
The idea of science as a method rather than as a body of knowledge is not widely appreciated outside of science, or indeed in some corridors inside of science. Vigorous criticism is constructive in science more than in some other areas of human endeavor because in it there are adequate standards of validity which can be agreed upon by competent scientists the world over.
The objective of such criticism is not to suppress but rather to encourage the advance of new
Ideas:those which survive a firm skeptical(懷疑的) examination have a fighting chance of being
right, or at least useful.
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
Scientists, like other human beings, have their hopes and fears, their passions and disap-
pointments and their strong emotions may sometimes interrupt the course of clear thinking
and sound practice. But science is also self - correcting. The most fundamental principles and
conclusions may be challenged. The steps in a reasoned argument must be set out for all to see.
Experiments must be capable of being carried out by other scientists. The history of science is
full of cases where previously accepted theories have been entirely overthrown, to be replaced by
new ideas which more adequately explain the data.
While there is an understandable inertia - usually lasting about one generation - such
revolution in scientific thought are widely accepted as a necessary and desirable element of scientific progress. Indeed, the reasoned criticism of a prevailing belief is a service to the supporters of that belief; if they are incapable of defending it, they are well - advised to abandon it. This self -questioning and error- correcting aspect of the scientific method is its most striking property and sets it off from many other areas of human endeavor, such as religion and fine arts.
The idea of science as a method rather than as a body of knowledge is not widely appreciated outside of science, or indeed in some corridors inside of science. Vigorous criticism is constructive in science more than in some other areas of human endeavor because in it there are adequate standards of validity which can be agreed upon by competent scientists the world over.
The objective of such criticism is not to suppress but rather to encourage the advance of new
Ideas:those which survive a firm skeptical(懷疑的) examination have a fighting chance of being
right, or at least useful.