必修二Unit1AFACTORANOPINION.doc

必修二Unit 1 A FACT OR AN OPINION? 事实还是看法？
What is a fact? Is it something that people believe? 什么是事实呢？是不是人们所相信的就是事实呢？ No. A fact is anything that can be proved. 不是。事实是可以证实的信息。For example, it can be proved that China has more people than any other country in the world. This is a fact. 举例来说，中国人口比世界上任何其他国家的人口都多，这是可以得到证实的，这就是事实。
Then what is an opinion? 那么，什么是看法呢？An opinion is what someone believes is true but has not been proved. 看法是人们相信是真实的但是未经证实。 So an opinion is not good evidence in a trial. 因此在审判中，看法不是强有力的证据。 For example, it is an opinion if you say “Cats are better pets than dogs”. 举例来说，如果你说：“猫作为宠物比狗好。” It may be true, but it is difficult to prove. 这就是看法，这个看法可能是正确的，但是它难以被证实。Some people may not agree with this opinion but they also cannot prove that they are right. 有些人可能不同意这种看法，但是他们也不能证明他们是正确的。
In a trial, a judge must decide which eyewitnesses to believe and which not to believe. 在审判中，法官必须断定哪些证人可以相信，哪些证人不能相信。The judge does not consider what each eyewitness looks like or where that person lives or works. 法官并不考虑证人的长相如何，也不考虑这个人住在哪里，在哪儿工作。He/she only cares about whether the eyewitness has given true information, which must be facts rather than opinions. 他（她）关心的只是目击者是否提供了真实的信息，这些信息必须是事实而不是个人观点或看法。 This kind of information is called evidence. 这种信息就叫做证据。