Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire in 1738, was an early attempt to popularize the scientific ideas of Isaac Newton. In the book's frontispiece, Voltaire is seen writing at his desk, and over him a shaft of light from heaven, the light of truth, passes through Newton to Voltaire's collaborator Madame du Châtelet; she reflects that light onto the inspired Voltaire. Voltaire's book commanded a wide audience, according to Feingold, because 'he was neither a mathematician nor a physicist, but a literary giant aloof from the academic disputes over Newtonian ideas.' In other words, Voltaire's amateurism in science 'was a source of his contemporary appeal, demonstrating for the first time the accessibility of Newton's ideas to nonspecialists.'

For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.
Which of the following statements about Voltaire's Elements of the Philosophy of Newton can be inferred from the passage? ______

A、
Voltaire's literary stature helped secure a large audience for this attempt to popularize Newton's ideas.
B、
Voltaire's status as a nonscientist was an advantage in this effort to bring Newtonian science to the attention of the general public.
C、
The frontispiece of the book implies that Voltaire's understanding of Newton's ideas was not achieved without assistance.

【正确答案】 A、B、C

【答案解析】

[考点] 简单的推断 1．做题分析 ①Elements of the Philosophy of Newton, published by Voltaire in 1738, was an early attempt to popularize the scientific ideas of Isaac Newton. ②In the book's frontispiece, Voltaire is seen writing at his desk, and over him a shaft of light from heaven, the light of truth, passes through Newton to Voltaire's collaborator Madame du Châtelet; she reflects that light onto the inspired Voltaire. ③Voltaire's book commanded a wide audience, according to Feingold, because 'he was neither a mathematician nor a physicist, but a literary giant aloof from the academic disputes over Newtonian ideas.' ④In other words, Voltaire's amateurism in science ' was a source of his contemporary appeal, demonstrating for the first time the accessibility of Newton's ideas to nonspecialists. ' 2．文章结构文章比较简单，主要内容是一本书，全文没有取反词，故只有一个主题。文章开头提出一本书Elements of the Philosophy of Newton和它的内容，继而引出它的作者Voltaire，接下来是这本书的特点。一本书(文章主要讨论对象)：Elements of the Philosophy of Newton，内容是传播牛顿的科学思想(an early attempt to popularize the scientific ideas of Isaac Newton) 书的作者：Voltaire和助手Madame du Châtelet 书的特点：(1)有很多读者(commanded a wide audience) (2)其作者是科学的门外汉(Voltaire's amateurism in science) 3．文章精析 ①为文章的第一个主题句，需要精读。主要讲述了伏尔泰的一本尝试推广牛顿思想的书。 ②没有出现转折词，与前面表顺承。这一句好长，讲的是伏尔泰如何通过他的合作者来帮助阐述牛顿的思想。 ③没有出现转折词，与前面表顺承。这一句讲伏尔泰的书是怎样“吸粉”(吸引粉丝)的。 ④In other words，说明这一句和前面一句一个思路，略读。题型：不定项选择题题目问下面哪一个选项是可以从原文推断出来的，这样说等于没说，只能一个个选项去看，回原文找对应。不定项选择题与EXCEPT这两种题型只能看选项，一个个回原位找对应，比较难预判答案。 A选项：根据选项里的“secure a large audience”回到原文第三句，得知该选项是正确的。secure与commend为替换词。 B选项：根据选项里的“status as a nonscientist”定位到原文里的最后一句，得知该选项是对的。amateurism in science=nonscientist C选项：根据选项里的“frontispiece”定位到原文里的第二句，得知C选项与原文第二句为同义替换，因此，该选项也是对的。