首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
The conviction of seven Italian geological and disaster experts for their negligence in failing to predict the 6. 3 magnitude qu
The conviction of seven Italian geological and disaster experts for their negligence in failing to predict the 6. 3 magnitude qu
admin
2014-06-25
18
问题
The conviction of seven Italian geological and disaster experts for their negligence in failing to predict the 6. 3 magnitude quake in 2009 in the small town of Aquila has shocked the scientific community. Many are wondering whether the Dark Ages have returned to Italy. Galileo rarely trends on Twitter, yet Monday’s verdict by a three-judge panel had many alluding to his 1633 heresy conviction by the Catholic Church because he questioned whether the sun actually circled the Earth.
If the Earth is not the center of God’s universe, neither are scientists. Their concerns about scientific freedom and how the verdict will silence research are a little overblown and exceptionally righteous. The verdict, instead, should be understood as a celebration of science. Society has come to believe that science can help citizens make judgments about where to live, how to act, and whether to evacuate. Unlike in the time of Galileo, society has come to accept the value of evidence and deduction. The court’s ruling is a reminder to the scientific community that along with their God-given skills comes a certain a-mount of civic responsibility.
Science was not on trial; scientists were. The facts of the case are much more complicated than its critics care to explain. The judges did not argue that earthquake prediction is perfect; they did not demand flawless accuracy in a field that everyone knows is more an art form. Instead, they ruled that members of the so-called Great Risks Commission had not only failed to properly assess the evidence before them, but had actually communicated the exact opposite, despite evidence to the contrary.
Earthquake prediction may not be exact, but it isn’t witchcraft either. For those of us who have worked in crisis and disaster management, there is a thriving field of predictive analysis using earthquake modeling, small tremor tracking, and radon gas releases. These techniques provide experts, and public-safety entities who will have to respond, a hope to penetrate the mystery around earthquakes: Does this type of natural disaster actually drop hints before the Big One?
The defendants were sentenced because the public places a value on scientific assurances, much more so than political ones. Maybe the commission was used by politicians who, for reasons that are inexplicable, didn’t want to have to deal with a jittery public. One commission member even told everyone to chill with a glass of wine. The commission should have known, the court ruled, that its assurances would be understood by the citizens of Aquila to be like words from the heavens. The ruling wasn’t about demanding from science an exactitude that doesn’t exist. Instead, it validates the role science plays in helping to drive public behavior, as it has with climate change or tsunami warnings. Because the public believes in the value of data, hypothesis, and even generalized predictions, it expected much better of the Italian scientists.
In the author’s opinion. Monday’s verdict reflected______.
选项
A、a trend of increasing restrictions on scientific freedom
B、a widespread embrace of scientific knowledge
C、a public disappointment at scientific research
D、an excessive expectation on scientific responsibility
答案
B
解析
第二段第三句指出,该判决应该被视为科学的庆典。然后进行解释:该判决表明整个社会逐渐开始接受证据和推理的价值,开始相信科学能够帮助人们做出行动决定,[B]选项正确。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/wGK4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
OnecountrythatiscertainoftheeffectoffilmsontourismisAustralia.TheTouristOfficeofQueenslandsaythatCrocodile
Theprotectionofculturaldiversityfromapoliticalandeconomicpointofviewinfactbecamepressingwithglobalization,whi
DuBoiswasasociologicalandeducationalpioneerwhochallengedtheestablishedsystemofeducationthattendedtorestrictra
[A]Dosomethingimpressive[B]Trustyourself[C]Changeonething[D]Stoptorefresh[E]Achieveabalanceddiet[F]Honoryo
Traditionally,thewomanhasheldalowpositioninmarriagepartnerships.Whileherhusbandwenthisway,shehadtowash,stit
NewYorkTimeswasnotcriticizedbytheconservativebecauseofbeing______.Theinstanceinthe4thparagraphimpliesMr.Sto
Amajorreasonmostexpertstodaysupportconceptssuchasayouthservicesbureauisthattraditionalcorrectionalpracticesfa
Asanation,Japanisunusuallywellpreparedfornaturaldisasters.IntheyearssinceWorldWarII,successivegovernmentshav
随机试题
低碳钢和低合金结构钢埋弧焊时,应该按照()的焊接线能量的要求来选定焊接工艺参数。
与mRNA中的ACG密码相对应的tRNA反密码子是
男,34岁,塌方事故导致骨盆、左股骨及胫腓骨多处骨折。接诊时首先应注意的并发症是
下列关于法律体系的表述,哪些说法是不正确的?
建设工程组织流水施工时,其特点之一是()。
股东从保护自身利益的角度出发,在确定股利分配政策时应考虑的因素有()。
在一般性货币政策工具中,主动权存商业银行而不在中央银行的工具是()。
汉代的三河地区是指()。
裴斯泰洛齐认为:“为人在世,可贵者在于发展,在于发展个人天赋的内在力量,使其经过锻炼,使人能尽其才,能在社会上达到他应有的地位。这就是教育的最终目的。”这句话反映了:
法律评价作用的对象是()
最新回复
(
0
)