Opinion is a word that is used carelessly today. It is used to refer to matters of taste,

"Opinion" is a word that is used carelessly today. It is used to refer to matters of taste, belief, and judgment. This casual use would probably cause   36   confusion if people didn’t attach too much importance to opinion. Unfortunately,    37   do attach great importance to it. “I have as much   38   to my opinion as you to yours,” and “  39   is entitled to his opinion,” are   40   expressions. In fact, anyone who would challenge another’s opinion is likely to be branded intolerant（不能忍受的）.

Is that label (标签) accurate? Is it intolerant to challenge another’s opinion? It depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind. For example, you may ask a friend “What do you think   41   the new Ford cars?” And he   42   reply, “In my opinion, they’re   43  .” In this case, it would not only be intolerant to challenge his statement, but   44  . For it’s obvious that  45   opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of   46  . And as the old saying goes, “It’s   47   to argue about matters of taste.”

   But consider this very   48   use of the term, a newspaper reports that the Supreme Court (最高法院) has delivered its opinion in a controversial (有争议的)   49  . Obviously the justices did not shake their personal preferences, their mere likes and dislikes. They stated their  50   judgment, painstakingly arrived at after thorough inquiry and deliberation (考虑).

Most of what is referred to as opinion falls somewhere   51   these two extremes. It is

  52   an expression of taste. Nor is it careful judgment. Yet it may contain elements of   53  . It is a view or belief more or less casually arrived at, with or without examining the evidence.

Is everyone entitled to his opinion? Of course, this is not only permitted, but   54  . We are free to act on our opinions only so long as, in doing so, we do not   55   others.

36-40 BBCAD   41-45 AABDC   46-50 DDCAB   51-55 CCDBA