阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
A
When it comes to Albert Einstein (1879-1955), it's easy to imagine an old, crazy-haired genius. But before he ever came up with the theory of relativity, Einstein was a 23-year-old patent clerk, working for the minimum wage. Young Einstein decided to earn some extra cash tutoring physics. He put up an ad, and Maurice Solovine, a student of philosophy, responded. The two did not do much traditional studying, but instead chatted about philosophy. Conrad Habicht, a mathematician and a friend of Einstein, joined their debates. They jokingly called themselves the Olympia Academy.
We’ve gathered together some books the members of the Olympia Academy read and discussed. Maybe the literature that inspired Einstein can inspire you to be clever, too.
A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume
David Hume, a 18th-century Scottish philosopher, was always suspicious. He believed “everything we know is really just a matter of probability”. He argued “reason doesn’t motivate people’’, which led to all sorts of questions, such as “So what’s motivating you to write this?”
“The chief benefit, which results from philosophy, arises in an indirect manner, and more from its secret insensible influence, than from its immediate application,” Hume wrote.
Analysis of Sensations by Ernst Mach
An Austrian philosopher Ernst Mach wrote about how mysterious senses are. In an attempt to figure out how humans experience balance, Mach cleverly built a turning chairs , which used shades of gray bands to show that the colors people saw were deeply affected by the colors around them.
Science and Hypothesis by Henri Poincare
Henri Poincare, a 19th-century French philosopher, was also a theoretical physicist, an engineer and a mathematician. At college, he was fantastic at math. He created his special theory and wrote Science and Hypothesis. Some of his thoughts actually sowed the seeds for Einstein’s theory of relativity, such as the idea that time is relative.
1. What did the members of the Olympia Academy have in common?
A. They lived on high wages.
B. They tended to laugh at each other.
C. They loved reading and studying.
D. They were 18th-century mathematicians.
2. Which of the following does David Hume agree with?
A. Reason motivates people.
B. Every human sense is mysterious.
C. People should see everything with doubt.
D. The chief benefit of philosophy arises directly.
3. Who probably inspired Einstein’s theory of relativity?
A. Conrad Habicht. B. David Hume. C. Ernst Mach. D. Henri Poincare.
【答案】1. C2. C3. D
【解析】
【导语】本文是一篇应用文。文章主要介绍了奥林匹亚学院的成员喜欢阅读和讨论的书。
【1题详解】
推理判断题。根据第二自然段“We’ve gathered together some books the members of the Olympia Academy read and discussed. (我们收集了一些奥林匹亚学院成员阅读和讨论的书籍。)”可知，奥林匹亚学院成员喜欢阅读和讨论。故选C。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。根据A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume部分 “David Hume, a 18th-century Scottish philosopher, was always suspicious. He believed “everything we know is really just a matter of probability”. (18世纪的苏格兰哲学家大卫·休谟总是疑心重重。他认为“我们所知道的一切都只是概率问题”。)”的可知，David Hume 认为人们应该怀疑地看待一切。故选C。
【3题详解】
细节理解题。根据Science and Hypothesis by Henri Poincare部分“Henri Poincare, a 19th-century French philosopher, was also a theoretical physicist, an engineer and a mathematician. At college, he was fantastic at math. He created his special theory and wrote Science and Hypothesis. Some of his thoughts actually sowed the seeds for Einstein’s theory of relativity, such as the idea that time is relative. (亨利·庞加莱（Henri Poincare），19世纪法国哲学家，也是一位理论物理学家、工程师和数学家。在大学里，他数学很好。他创立了自己的特殊理论，并撰写了《科学与假说》。他的一些思想实际上为爱因斯坦的相对论埋下了种子，比如时间是相对的。)”可知，Henri Poincare可能激励了爱因斯坦的相对论。故选D。
