Using Language
语言应用
Reading and Listening
阅读和听力
1 A Fact or an Opinion?
一、是一个事实还是一个观点？
What is a fact?
事实是什么？
Is it something that people believe?
是一些人们相信的东西吗？
No. A fact is anything that can be proved.
不！事实是可以被证明的任何事。
For example, it can be proved that China has more people than any other country in the world.
例如，可以证明中国人口比世界上任何其他国家的人口都要多。
This is a fact.
这是一个事实。
Then what is an opinion?
那么什么是一个观点？
An opinion is what someone believes is true but has not been proved.
观点是人们相信那是真的但还没有被证明的。
So an opinion is not good evidence in a trial.
所以一个观点在一个审判中不是一个好的证据。
For example, it is an opinion if you say “Cats are better pets than dogs”.
例如，如果你说“猫是比狗好的宠物”这会是一个观点。
It may be true, but it is difficult to prove.
这可能是真的，不过很难去证明。
Some people may not agree with this opinion but they also cannot prove that they are right.
一些人可能不同意这个观点，不过他们也不能去证明他们是对的。
In a trial, a judge must decide which eyewitnesses to believe and which not to believe.
在一场审批中，一个审判官一定要去决定相信哪个目击者，哪个目击者不应该相信。
The judge does not consider what each eyewitness looks like or where that person lives or works.
这个审判官不会去考虑每个目击者的长相或人们在哪里居住或工作。
He/she only cares about whether the eyewitness has given true information, which must be facts rather than opinions.
他/她只关心目击者是否会提供真实的信息，信息一定是事实，而不是观点。
This kind of information is called evidence.
这类的信息被称为证据。
