The word tolerance is widely used in liberal democracies. It indicates a positive meaning. Politicians urge us to be tolerant towards minorities. Educators teach us to be tolerant towards the other. The press is full of references to the need to display tolerance when faced with individuals or groups espousing a different view or holding a different religious belief. A tolerant society is an objective sought after by anyone who believes in the values of democracy. A tolerant individual is attributed with virtuous qualities.

The question we must ask is whether we have been using the word tolerance fully aware of its meaning and whether we have applied it correctly to reflect what we really wish to convey?

The word tolerance means to bear, or to bear with. If I tolerate something or someone, I basically say that I am ready to bear it or him. I can tolerate a bad smell or a noisy neighbour. The act of toleration forces me to desist from conveying my objection to the existence of a phenomenon, which I find difficult to bear. A bad smell or a noisy neighbour is considered by me to be an objectionable phenomenon. By tolerating either of them, I am not transforming the bad smell or the noisy neighbour into positive phenomena. Let's be honest: I don't have a different taste when it comes to bad smells. I simply dislike it and wish that it disappears. I don't respect the noisy neighbour. I would rather have him stop at once the noise he is making so I can live in peace.

To try to remove the bad smell or take reasonable action in order for the noisy neighbour to stop bothering me would most probably not be considered an intolerant act by most people.

Now, let's try to apply the word tolerance in reference to a person who is law-abiding and holds a legally acceptable different view from my own. I may have a strong view, which is opposed to his. Quite frankly, I may decide to tolerate his view. By so doing, I would be attributing to it a negative characteristic. I would apply the same attitude to his view as to the bad smell or noisy neighbour. Thus, to try to take action in order to make his view disappear would be considered an intolerant act. To tolerate his view the way I would a bad smell or a noisy neighbour, could hardly be considered virtuous.

The subject tolerating is by nature not equal to the object being tolerated. If I tolerate you, I essentially say that I am above you and am prepared, although unwillingly, to bear with your presence or with your practices or opinions. That may be true in the case of an individual who is ready to tolerate the other. However, this attitude by such an individual, though empirically true, is hardly a virtue. Certainly, the fact that an individual, in reality, may merely tolerate the other or his opinion does not justify a government or any official authority promoting tolerance as a virtue. One cannot tolerate an equal being. True equality involves respect, not toleration. To respect the other as a distinctive person is hardly to tolerate him. This is the true meaning of equality: diversity existing in a mutually-respectful socio-legal setting.

The danger with tolerance is that it can lead to the acceptance of individuals or groups bent on destroying the foundations of democratic systems. We have seen such cases with regard to political parties or destructive religious groups that have been treated in a liberal manner under the guise of tolerance.

A tolerant attitude involves the grant of a favour, not a right. The question we should ask ourselves is whether we would ever wish a parliament to make laws according to us, as individuals and as part of a collective entity or a permission to pursue certain actions interpreted as a favour rather than a right? Indeed, would we ever wish anyone to listen to our views and accept us the way we are simply because he is kind enough to tolerate us?

1. The first two paragraphs are mainly intended to show that __________.

A. tolerance is a symbol of liberal democracies

B. democratic society always advocates tolerance

C. people’s understanding of tolerance is one-sided

D. tolerance can be applied to many situations

2. The example of a bad smell and a noisy neighbour is raised to indicate that _________.

A. the writer are fed up with them

B. most people find them hard to tolerate

C. the writer isn’t prejudiced against them

D. tolerating them isn’t a virtuous act

3.Which of the following will the writer probably agree with?

A. Too much tolerance will endanger the foundations of democratic systems.

B. By tolerating people can transform something negative into the opposite.

C. People tolerating others are likely to consider them as their equals.

D. Being tolerant should be regarded as a right instead of a favour

4.The best title for this passage should be “___________”.

A. Tolerance and respect B. What is to be tolerated?

C. Is Tolerance a Virtue? D. Should people be tolerant?

Money was a constant source of tension and stress when I was growing up. My parents were , well-educated and hard-working, but they lived from paycheck to paycheck. When I was 13, they split up. Then my mom to raise three kids, often relying on free lunch tickets and food stamps. As my mother retirement age, she was filled with over the fact that she hadn’t saved enough for her golden retirement years, she often sighed. My father had always been to work—we had always he’d work less and spend more time with us . But he is just a workaholic(工作狂).

My parents were trying so hard to make ends meet, so I couldn’t become a on them. As a result, I college and spent the next couple of years drifting from one minimum wage job to another. I my broken-down car, went to work on foot, reduced my by sharing a one-bedroom apartment with three other women, and got free food during Happy Hour at our local bar. I learned to do whatever it took to .

One night, while I was working at a donut shop and 34 coffee for a homeless customer, I . that I was one paycheck away from being homeless myself. That was my wake-up . Motivated by fear of an uncertain , I opened the Yellow Pages(电话黄页), . professional dog trainers and negotiated an unpaid apprenticeship(学徒工作). Less than a year later, I was by a dog trainer, and I loved the work. A couple of years later, I started my own dog-training school, which luckily turned out to be . My efforts paid off.

Though I didn’t have rich parents to rely on, I discovered the power of asking for what I want.

1.A. clever B. careful C. greedy D. powerless

2.A. hoped B. struggled C. attempted D. refused

3.A. counted B. imagined C. mentioned D. approached

4.A. curiosity B. disagreement C. anxiety D. happiness

5.A. if B. so C. but D. because

6.A. addicted B. similar C. related D. familiar

7.A. believed B. guessed C. said D. wished

8.A. though B. yet C. instead D. too

9.A. danger B. burden C. challenge D. threat

10.A. dropped out of B. was admitted into C. went in D. went through

11.A. paid for B. cleaned out C. gave away D. fixed up

12.A. clothes B. dinner C. weight D. rent

13.A. survive B. work C. play D. pay

14.A. buying B. making C. tasting D. smelling

15.A. recalled B. promised C. feared D. realized

16.A. sign B. hit C. call D. period

17.A. future B. job C . mood D. family

18.A. searched B. phoned C. invited D. persuaded

19.A. honored B. reminded C. hired D. moved

20.A. hard B. tiring C. efficient D. successful

Guide to Stockholm University Library

Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.

Zones

The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.

Computers

You can use your own computer to connect to the wi-fi specially prepared for notebook computers; you can also use library computers, which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated(位于) in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.

Group-study places

If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps.

There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week.

Storage of Study Material

The library has lockers for students to store course literature. When you have got at least 40 credits(学分), you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.

Rules to be Followed

Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.

Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.

1.The library’s upper floor is mainly for students to __________.

A. read in a quiet place

B. have group discussions

C. take comfortable seats

D. get their computers fixed

2. Library computers on the ground floor __________.

A. help students with their field experiments

B. contain software necessary for schoolwork

C. are for those who want to access the wi-fi

D. are mostly used for filling out application forms

3.What condition should be met to book a group-study room?

A. A group must consist of 8 people

B. Three-hour use per day is the minimum

C. One should first register (注册) at the university

D. Applicants must mark the room on the map

4.A student can rent a locker in the library if he __________.

A. can afford the rental fee

B. attends certain courses

C. has nowhere to put his books

D. has earned the required credits

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