最近，教学工作暂告一个段落。于是便决定利用六月的两周，为同一社区的邻居小朋友提供免费的文化浸濡课程。希望通过这短期（1）教学，让学生体会中华文化的美，“诱使”他们爱上华文。
布告贴出去后，邻居反应很快，也很“两极”。第一个上门的邻居是婆媳俩，为两个小朋友报名，可喜的是我不必解释为何提供免费课程。接下来就难免碰到（2）的眼神，因为这个社会总有人不容易相信好东西会是免费的，类似的课程动辄收费数百元，难怪他们会质疑怎么会有这等好事。也有邻居不问因由，欣然认同做好事不一定要（3）个人利益得失。
生在标榜功利至上的拜金社会，人人凡事锱铢必较，没有现实（４） 可图的事几乎无人问津。久而久之，人们忘了什么是“兼济天下”，只牢记“独善其身”的道理。孟老夫子对这八个字自有高见，而我对“独善其身”其实还有另一层见解：不能兼济天下者，至少要把自己照顾好、约束好，不要做（5）的事。只要大家都把自己管教，这个世界也会祥泰许多，地球母亲也不会那么受罪了。
近日人人言必环保，其实爱护地球最基本是从自身做起，尽量减少制造垃圾，疼惜野外的一草一木。每次和大自然约会时，看到它们身上被（6）的人凿刻“到此一游”等字眼就觉得异常难过，钟情一片天地就不该污染它的面貌。喜欢一样事物不一定非占有它，就像“爱鸟者”不该把鸟囚在鸟笼里，它们是属于蔚蓝天空的。
每个人都有私心，所以每个人的思考逻辑都从“自我方便”出发，乱丢垃圾者总会（7），说清洁工人的存在就是为了打扫环境；喜欢在大自然身上留下人为痕迹的“大自然爱好者”也不会想象，好好一幅山水布满了张三李四的海誓山盟，会变成什么（８）入目的景象。
地球需要净化，人心又怎么不是这样呢？“兼济天下”固然不易，“独善其身”是做人的最基本的要求，应该是人人都办得到的。
（改编自7月2日《早报》现在 文／晞哲）
Word List
1) 独善其身 【dúshànqíshēn】提高自身的修养/to improve oneself
2) 暂告一个段落 【zàn gào yígè duànluò】暂时停止/to stop for the time being
3) 浸濡 【jìnrú】沉浸在某种文化氛围中/immersion
4) 诱使 【yòushǐ】诱导，促使/induce or attract
5) 可喜 【kěxǐ】令人高兴/heartening, gratifying
6) 猜疑 【cāiyí】怀疑/suspicious
7) 动辄 【dòngzhé】动不动就/easily
8) 标榜 【biāobǎng】提出某种好听的名义，加以宣扬/flaunt or trumpet
9) 锱铢必较 【zīzhūbìjiào】形容非常小气，很小的事也要计较/to be calculating and unwilling to make the smallest sacrifice
10) 兼济天下 【jiān jì tiānxià】改善世界的面貌帮助世人/to improve the world
11) 损人利己 【sǔnrénlìjǐ】为使自己得到好处不惜损害他人的利益/benefit oneself at the expense of others
12) 祥泰 【xiángtài】吉祥安顺/peaceful
13) 疼惜 【téngxī】怜惜﹐爱护/love and cherish
14) 凿刻 【záokè】用斧子，凿子等工具雕刻/chisel
15) 钟情 【zhōngqíng】感情专注/have a deep love for
16) 狡辩 【jiǎobiàn】狡猾地强辩/quibble or indulge in sophistry
17) 张三李四 【zhāngsānlǐsì】假设的名字，泛指某人或某些人/Tom, Dick and Harry
18) 海誓山盟 【hǎishìshānméng】指男女相爱时立下的誓言/solemn pledge of love
19) 不堪入目 【bùkānrùmù】指形象丑恶，使人看不下去/indecent or crude
Q1 请为文中空白处选择适当的词语：
1 A 义工 B 任务 C 义务 D 服务
2 A 猜疑 B 猜想 C 疑问 D 疑虑
3 A 比较 B 计算 C 算计 D 计较
4 A 效益 B 利益 C 收益 D 收获
5 A 损人利己 B 好高鹜远 C 防微杜渐 D 自私自利
6 A 无赖 B 无辜 C 无聊 D 无用
7 A 争辩 B 分辩 C 阐明 D 狡辩
8 A 不堪 B 不能 C 不想 D 不敢
Q2 第2段开头的“两极”指的是：
A 让我非常高兴
B 对我的课程很怀疑
C 一种人高度赞扬，另一种人强烈反对
D 一种人欣然认同，另一种人持怀疑的态度
Q3 下列句子中，和“地球母亲也不会那么受罪了”用了同样修辞方法的句子是：
A 每次和大自然约会时，看到它们身上被凿刻的字眼就觉得异常难过。
B 就像“爱鸟者”不该把鸟囚在鸟笼里，它们是属于蔚蓝天空的。
C 收获的季节到来时，田野里总是堆了一座又一座的“山”。
D 她的心是一扇紧闭的门，无论谁都无法进入。
Q4 第3段中“孟老夫子”指的是谁？请用自己的话解释“独善其身” 和“兼济夭下”的意思。
05 为什么人们不相信会有免费的好东西？
Q6 作者认为环保最基本的条件是什么？
Q7 最后一段中提到：“地球需要净化，人心又怎么不是这样呢？”请结合上下文理解这句话的含义。
Q8 怎样才可以减少乱丢垃圾或在树木上乱刻的现象的发生？请提出你的建议。
原文阅读：
最近，教学工作暂告一个段落。于是便决定利用六月的两周，为同一社区的邻居小朋友提供免费的文化浸濡课程。希望通过这短期义务教学，让学生体会中华文化的美，“诱使”他们爱上华文。
I recently discontinued my teaching job for awhile and decided to use two weeks in June to hold a free cultural immersion course for the children in my neighbourhood. I hoped this short course could allow the learners to experience the beauty of Chinese culture, thereby encouraging them to fall in love with the Chinese language.
布告贴出去后，邻居反应很快，也很“两极”。第一个上门的邻居是婆媳俩，为两个小朋友报名，可喜的是我不必解释为何提供免费课程。接下来就难免碰到猜疑的眼神，因为这个社会总有人不容易相信好东西会是免费的，类似的课程动辄收费数百元，难怪他们会质疑怎么会有这等好事。也有邻居不问因由，欣然认同做好事不一定要计较个人利益得失。
After the notice was put up, the response came very quickly and the reactions were quite polarised. A mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were the first to arrive to sign up two children for the course. It was heartening that I did not need to explain to them why I was providing the course for free. It was harder to ignore the suspicious expressions of the subsequent people who came by. In our society, there are always those who find it hard to believe that good things come for free. Similar courses easily cost hundreds of dollars, so it is no wonder that they would query the motivations behind this good deal. There were also folks in the neighbourhood who did not question my reasons for providing this free course, but who readily accepted that one does not necessarily have to take into account whether one benefits personally when doing a good deed.
生在标榜功利至上的拜金社会，人人凡事锱铢必较，没有现实利益可图的事几乎无人问津。久而久之，人们忘了什么是“兼济天下”，只牢记“独善其身”的道理。孟老夫子对这八个字自有高见，而我对“独善其身”其实还有另一层见解：不能兼济天下者，至少要把自己照顾好、约束好，不要做损人利己的事。只要大家都把自己管教，这个世界也会祥泰许多，地球母亲也不会那么受罪了。
We live in a money-driven society that trumpets its belief in utilitarianism above all else. People are calculating in all matters and are unwilling to make the smallest sacrifice; no one is interested in anything that is of no concrete benefit to them. As time passes, people forget about the concept of 'working to improve the world' and merely remember to 'work at improving themselves'. Mencius naturally had his own understanding of these eight characters; however, I have another level of understanding with regard to the words 'working to improve oneself'. Those who may not have the ability to improve the lot of everyone under the heavens are at least able to look after themselves, exhibit self-control and not do things that enrich themselves at the expense of others. As long as everyone exhibits self-control, our world will be a more peaceful one and Mother Earth will not be having such a hard time.
近日人人言必环保，其实爱护地球最基本是从自身做起，尽量减少制造垃圾，疼惜野外的一草一木。每次和大自然约会时，看到它们身上被无聊的人凿刻“到此一游”等字眼就觉得异常难过，钟情一片天地就不该污染它的面貌。喜欢一样事物不一定非占有它，就像“爱鸟者”不该把鸟囚在鸟笼里，它们是属于蔚蓝天空的。
In recent years, everyone speaks of the necessity of protecting the environment. In actual fact, the most basic way that one can care for the Earth is to start from oneself, by minimising the amount of garbage that one generates, and by cherishing each plant and sapling in the great outdoors. Each time I visit Mother Nature, I feel exceptionally upset when I see words like 'XXX was here' chiselled onto her visage by immature people. If one has a deep love for a place, then one should not defile its appearance. To have a liking for a particular thing does not necessarily mean that one needs to take possession of it. This is just like how bird lovers should not lock up birds in cages; birds belong in the azure skies.
每个人都有私心，所以每个人的思考逻辑都从“自我方便”出发，乱丢垃圾者总会狡辩，说清洁工人的存在就是为了打扫环境；喜欢在大自然身上留下人为痕迹的“大自然爱好者”也不会想象，好好一幅山水布满了张三李四的海誓山盟，会变成什么不堪入目的景象。
To be selfish is part of human nature, so the starting point of most behaviour is invariably 'convenience to oneself'. Litterbugs always defend their actions by saying that the cleaners are there to clean up the environment; the 'nature lovers' who leave their man-made imprints on the face of Mother Nature also do not envision for a moment the crudity that ensues when a beautiful landscape becomes filled with solemn pledges of love from Tom, Dick and Harry.
地球需要净化，人心又怎么不是这样呢？“兼济天下”固然不易，“独善其身”是做人的最基本的要求，应该是人人都办得到的。
We need to clean up the Earth, so why don't we tidy up the minds of the people as well? It is indeed not easy to 'improve the world'; however, to 'work at improving oneself' is a fundamental need of being human and should be something that everyone can do.
（改编自7月2日《早报》现在 《独善其身》文／晞哲）
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