How’s this for a coincidence (巧合)? Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were born in the same year, on the same day: Feb. 12, 1809. Although people hardly think of them together, yet we want to say that they belong together. It’s not just because they were both great men, and not because they happen to live at the same time. Rather, it’s because the scientist and the politician each started a revolution that changed the world.
They were both revolutionaries in the sense that both men changed the realities when they were born. They seem and sound modern to us, because the world they left behind them is more or less the one we still live in. So, considering the joint greatness of their contributions and the coincidence of their birthdays ---- it is hard to wonder: who was the greatest man? It’s an apples and oranges--- or Superman vs. Santa---comparison. But if you limit the question to influence, very quickly the balance tips in Lincoln’s favor.
As great as his book on evolution is, it does no harm to remember that Darwin hurried to publish The Origin of Species because he thought he was about to be scooped (抢先) by his fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. Lincoln, however, is unique. True, his election as the president did cause the recession (衰退) and the war, but that war seems certain to happen---not a question of if but when. Certainly we know what happened after he was murdered: Reconstruction was organized and then abandoned, leaving the issue of racial (种族的) equality unsolved for another century.
Surely we should not deny Darwin’s accomplishment. But their same birthdays gave us a great opportunity to observe these men of their time.
【小题1】Why does the author say Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln belong together?| A．They were born on the same day. |
| B．They lived in the same period of time. |
| C．They started revolutions changing the world. |
| D．They were both great men in the history. |
| A．It is hard to tell which one is greater as they are both outstanding. |
| B．The comparison between Darwin and Lincoln is easy and obvious. |
| C．It is difficult to compare them as they are as famous as Superman and Santa. |
| D．There is no point comparing them because they were born on the same day. |
| A．narrow. | B．aggressive. |
| C．independent. | D．ground-breaking. |
| A．Lincoln’s success in election caused reconstruction. |
| B．Lincoln had tried to solve the racial problem. |
| C．Darwin was unique compared with Lincoln. |
| D．Darwin’s theory is similar to Lincoln’s belief. |
