2. 外语
  3. When we use a word in speech and writing, its most obvious purpose is to point to some thing or relation or property. This is th

When we use a word in speech and writing, its most obvious purpose is to point to some thing or relation or property. This is th

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问题      When we use a word in speech and writing, its most obvious purpose is to point to some thing or relation or property. This is the word’s" meaning."
     Let us suppose that the one grandparent of the dog was a collie, another was an Irish terrier, another a fox terrier, and the fourth a bulldog. We can express these facts equally scientifically and objectively by-saying that he is a dog of mixed breed. We have in no way gone be yond the requirements of exact scientific description.
     Suppose, however, that we had called the same animal a" mongrel". The matter is more complicated. We have used a word which objectively means the same as" dog of mixed breed", but which also arouse in our hearers an emotional attitude of disapproval toward that particular dog. A word, therefore, can not only indicate an object; but can also suggest an emotional attitude toward it. Such suggestion of an emotional attitude does go beyond exact and scientific discussion because our approvals and disapprovals are individual--they belong to ourselves and not to the objects we approve or disapprove of.
      Once we are on the outlook for this difference between" objective" and "emotional" meanings, we shall notice that words which carry more or less strong suggestions of emotional attitudes are very common and are ordinarily used in the discussion of such debatable questions as those of politics, morals, and religion. This is one reason why such controversies cannot yet be settled.
      There is a well-known saying that the word "firm" can be declined as follows: I am firm, you are obstinate, and he is pigheaded. This is a simple illustration of what is meant. "Firm," "obstinate", and "pigheaded" all have the same objective meaning--that is, following one’s own course of action and refusing to be influenced by other people’s opinions. They have, how ever, different emotional meanings:" firm" has an emotional meaning of strong approval, "obstinate" of mild disapproval, "pigheaded" of strong disapproval.
     In much the same way when, during World War I , thoughts were dominated by emotions, the Americans contrasted the spirit of our heroic boys with ruthlessness of the Germans. Now with the more objective attitude that has been brought by the lapse of time, we can look back and see that the spirit and the ruthlessness are objectively the same. Only the one word has an emotional meaning of approval, the other of disapproval.
The word" controversy" (Line 4, Para. 4) probably means______.
选项 A、agreement
B、argument
C、discussion
D、contribution
答案B
解析 词汇语义题。根据此词所在的上下文来推测词义，从This is one reason why such controversies cannot yet be settled．这个句子可知前面两句话为因果关系，前文指出：带有情绪的词语经常使用在引起争论的问题上，引出的结论是，这就是controversy不能解决的原因。可见，controversy是debatable question的近义词。所以，选项B是正确答案。
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