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Do Encyclopedias Know Everything?
LONG BEFORE Wikipedia or Encyclopedia Britannica (《大英百科全书》), there was Pliny the Elder. He was a first-century Roman researcher. His assistants (助理) read to him while he ate dinner and while he bathed. All the while, Pliny took notes. He even considered walking a waste of time. His assistants carried him around Rome in a chair while he read.
All of this was preparation for his Historia Naturalis (《博物志》). The book was published in A.D. 77. It is considered the oldest surviving encyclopedia on Earth. There are 2,500 chapters. They cover everything from mice to Mars.
“No Roman author has completed such a project,” Pliny proudly announced. Unluckily, two years after publishing (出版) the encyclopedia, he died in a natural disaster.
Accidents can hardly be avoided (避免). However, they can be recorded. Editors of encyclopedias, like Pliny, organize the knowledge of our world. Like a valuable gift, the books pass through the ages. They begin their lives as a tool and end them as a historical record.
Therefore, in my opinion, an encyclopedia is not just a record of what its editors know. It’s also a record of what they don’t know.
Pliny was wrong when he said there were seven planets, including the Sun and the Moon. He was wrong, too, when he said Africans were black from being burnt by the Sun. After all, Historia Naturalis is a book edited by a Roman thousands of years ago. These were all he truly knew.
Similarly, both Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica have some incorrect information. Even the biggest encyclopedias only represent what their editors know.
“The task of editing an encyclopedia can never be completed,” said Roger Lewinter, an American researcher. Encyclopedias can’t record all of the human knowledge but just some of it. They are always waiting for someone — you, perhaps — to improve them.
1.According to the article, before Pliny the Elder completed his Historia Naturalis, ______.
A.Nobody had considered walking a waste of time B.There was no encyclopedia on Earth
C.Nobody knew what Mars was D.No Roman author had completed an encyclopedia
2.When did Pliny die in a natural disaster?
A.In A.D. 79. B.In A.D. 77. C.In A. D.75. D. In 77 B.C.
3.Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
A.We should destroy Pliny’s encyclopedia because it contains too many mistakes.
B.Modern encyclopedias — such as Wikipedia — have fewer mistakes.
C.In the biggest encyclopedia, we can find all of the human knowledge.
D.In all encyclopedias, there is some incorrect information.
4.The author expects his readers to _____.
A.find all the mistakes in Historia Naturalis B.improve an encyclopedia
C.complete the task of editing an encyclopedia D.take a look at the world’s biggest encyclopedias
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Have You Planned Three Things to Do Before You Are 18?
I know most of us have a long way to reach an adult. At present, are you bored with your daily life? Here are some things you should try before you are 18，because after that it’s too late.
Learn to swim
Seriously, this is so important that it can save your life. If you can’t swim well，you won’t be able to do water sports like waterskiing, surfing and diving. Even taking a boat trip will be dangerous for you. Make sure you do it.
Try at least one kind of team sports
Being a good team player is an important skill in life. You can’t just think of yourself，but have to work well with other people. Other advantages of team sports like basketball, football and baseball are that they keep you fit and healthy, and they are also great fun. Teams usually have a good social life too—you’ll go to lots of parties and make many friends.
Collect something
One of the best hobbies for under-18s is collecting things. You could collect kinds of stamps，or you could collect things that make you remember what you have done，like cinema tickets for films you have seen or emails from friends. The best way to collect is to have a special album to put your collection in and to write what each thing means to you. That way you won’t forget.
1.The most important reason for learning to swim is that ______.
A. you might feel well
B. it can make you healthy
C. you might easily do lots of things
D. it can save your life
2. The underlined sentence “a good social life” in the passage means ______.
A. you’ll study in groups
B. you’ll go to parties and make many friends
C. you’ll take part in many matches
D. you’ll work in the society
3. The writer tells us that one of the best hobbies is to ______.
A. collect something
B. do some water sports
C. camp out in the garden
D. send emails to your friends
4.What kind of collection is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Stamps. B. Cinema tickets.
C. Snowballs. D. Emails.
5.The passage is mainly about ______ before you are 18.
A. good habits to keep B. skills to have
C. things to do D. sports to play
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We are close friends. _______, we know everything about each other.
A.As long as B.After all C.Above all D.As a result
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Eddie has ________ to do, and he sleeps all day long.
A. everything B. something
C. anything D. nothing
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Eddie has ________ to do, and he sleeps all day long.
A. everything B. something
C. anything D. nothing
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It long before we the result of the experiment.
A. will not be; will know B. is; will know
C. will not be; know D. is; know
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—Why do you call him Mr. Knowledgeable?
—Because he knows almost everything we want to know.
A. which B. what C. that D. who
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—Why do you call him Mr. Knowledgeable?
—Because he knows almost everything we want to know.
A. which B. what C. that D. who
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It _______ long ______ we know the result of the experiment.
A. will not be, before B. is, after C. will not be, until D. is, before
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—Why do you call him Mr．Knowledgeable?
— Because he knows almost everything we want to know．
A．which B．what C．who D．that