II. Write an outline. (20 points)
Read the following passage carefully and compose a “topic outline” for it.
Confucius
No other philosopher in the world has had more enduring influence than Confucius. For over two thousand years, his concept of government, and his ideas about personal conduct and morality pervaded Chinese life and culture. Even today, his thoughts remain influential.
Confucius was born in a small town in northeastern China and grew up in poverty. He had no formal education; however, through self-study he became a learned man. For a while he held a minor government post; but he soon resigned his position and spent most of his life teaching. The most important teachings of Confucius were collected in a book, the Analects, compiled by his disciples.
The two cornerstones of his system of personal conduct were ren and li. Ren might be defined as “benevolent concern for one’s fellow men.” Li is a term less easily translated: it combines the notions of etiquette, good manners, and due concern for rituals and customs. Confucius believed that a man should seek truth and virtue rather than wealth. In addition, he was the first philosopher to state the Golden Rule, which he phrased as “Do not do unto others that which you would not have them do unto you.”
Confucius believed that children owe respect and obedience to their parents, wives to their husbands, and subjects to their rulers. But he was never a defender of tyranny. On the contrary, he held that the state should work for the benefit of the people, and that a leader should govern by moral example rather than by force.
At the time of his death, Confucius was a respected, but not yet greatly influential, teacher and philosopher. Gradually, though, his ideas became widely accepted throughout the country. In the third century B.C. Shih Huang Ti, the first emperor of Qin Dynasty, united China. He decided to reform the country entirely and make a complete break with the past. The Emperor therefore suppressed Confucian teachings and ordered the burning of all copies of Confucian works.
Most Confucian works were indeed destroyed, but some copies survived, and a few years later, after the dynasty founded by the “First Emperor” had fallen, Confucianism re-emerged. In the Han dynasty, it became the official state philosophy, a position it maintained throughout most of the next two millennia.
Indeed, for much of that period, the civil service examinations in China were based primarily on knowledge of Confucian classics. Since those examinations were the main route by which common people could enter the administration and achieve political power, the governing class of China was largely composed of men who had carefully studied the works of Confucius and absorbed his principles.
Topic Outline______________________________________________________________________________
Topic OutlineⅠ. Introduction: Confucius’ influence (Para. 1)A. The world’s most enduring influential philosopherB. Thesis: Confucius’ concept of government and his ideas about personal conduct and morality pervaded Chinese life and culture.Ⅱ. Confucius’ life and career (Para.2)A. His family backgroundB. His careerC. His teachings in the AnalectsⅢ. Confucius’ system of personal conduct (Para. 3-4)A. Two cornerstones: ren and liB. Some basic beliefsIV. Reception of Confucianism at different periods of history (Para. 5-7)A. Increasing influence after his deathB. Suppression and destruction of Confucian books by Shih Huang TiC. The official state philosophy since the Han dynasty【评分参考】1.本部分满分20分，按四个档次给分。其中12分为及格分，需要慎重把握。2.考生只能按题型要求写出“Topic Outline”,如用“Sentence Outline”或两种混用，则降档处理。如写成“Summary”或其它形式，则按0分处理。其中Thesis 可置于Introduction之前。3．提供的答案仅供参考。如果考生的回答在层次划分上与参考答案不一致，但条理清晰、合理，概括完整，应按正确答案给分。4. 回答中的拼写错误可以每四个扣1分，但不重复扣分。5. 分值不得出现0.5分。
