2202112 English Two
Reading
Supplement Unit 12/1
Person of the Century
(excerpt from Time, December 31, 1999)
-- Walter Isaacson
Below is an excerpt from Time magazine. Except for the opening paragraph, the rest has
been jumbled up. Read the opening paragraph carefully. Then think about how the writer
should organize his ideas. Next, skim the information in the boxes and put them in order
so that the end product makes up a well-organized piece of writing. Be prepared to
explain.
Opening paragraph
Roosevelt, Gandhi, Einstein, three inspiring characters, each representing a different
force of history in the past century. They were about as different as any three men are
likely to be. Yet each in his own way, both intentionally and not, taught us the century's
most important lesson: the value of being both humble and humane.
A) Gandhi, unlike Roosevelt, was the earthly embodiment of humility, so much so that at
times it threatened to become a conceit. He taught us that we should value
the civil liberties and individual rights of other human beings, and he lived for (and was
killed for) preaching tolerance and pluralism. By exhibiting these virtues,
which the century has amply taught us are essential to civilization, we express the
humility and humanity that come from respecting people who are different from us.
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B) Einstein often invoked God, although his was a rather depersonalized deity. He
believed, he said, in a 'God who reveals himself in the harmony of all that exists."
His faith in this divine harmony was what caused him to reject the view that the universe
is subject to randomness and uncertainty. "The Lord God is subtle, but malicious he
is not." Searching for Gods design, he said, was "the source of all true
art and science." Although this quest may be a cause for humility, it
is also what gives meaning and dignity to our lives.
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C) As the century's greatest thinker, as an immigrant who fled from oppression to
freedom, as a political idealist, he best embodies what historians will regard as
significant about the 20th century. And as a philosopher with faith both in science and in
the beauty of God's handiwork, he personifies the legacy that has been bequeathed to the
next century.
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D) Roosevelt, scarcely an exemplar of humility, nonetheless saved the possibility of
governmental humility from the forces of utopian and dystopian arrogance. Totalitarian
systems-whether fascist or communist-believe that those in charge know what's best for
everyone else. But leaders who nurture democracy and freedom--who allow folks to make
their own choices rather than dictating them from on high--are being laudably humble, an
attitude that the 20th century clearly rewarded and one that is necessary
for creating humane societies.
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E) Einstein taught the greatest humility of all: that we are but a speck in an
unfathomably large universe. The more we gain insight into its mysterious forces, cosmic
and atomic, the more reason we have to be humble. And the more we harness the huge power
of these forces, the more such humility becomes an im- perative. "A
spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe," he once wrote, "in the face of which
we, with our modest powers, must feel humble."
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Questions
1. Of the three people mentioned, one has been chosen by the magazine to be Person of
the Century. Suppose you havent been following the news and therefore have had no
idea who the person is, can you, particularly based on the way the ideas are organized in
the selection, figure out who he is? Also, support your choice with specific details in
the text.
2. What are the two criteria used in judging who most deserves the title "Person
of the Century"?
3. References: What do the following words or phrases refer to?
- it (paragraph A) _____________________________________
- these virtues (paragraph A) _____________________________
- this quest (paragraph B) _______________________________
- one (paragraph D) ___________________________________
- these forces (paragraph E) _____________________________
- which (paragraph E) __________________________________