【推荐1】In the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia, one scene shows an American newspaper reporter eagerly snapping photos of men robbing a damaged train. One of the robbers, Chief Auda abu Tayi of the Howeitat clan, suddenly notices the camera and snatches it. “Am I in this?” he asks, before smashing it open. To the dismayed reporter, Lawrence explains, “He thinks these things will steal his virtue. He thinks you’re a kind of thief.”

As soon as colonizers and explorers began taking cameras into distant lands, stories began circulating about how native peoples saw them as tools for black magic. The “ignorant natives” may have had a point. When photography first became available, scientists welcomed it as a more objective way of recording faraway societies than early travelers’ exaggerated accounts. But in some ways, anthropological(人类学的) photographs reveal more about the culture that holds the camera than the one that stares back. Up into the 1950s and 1960s, many ethnographer(人种学者) sought “pure” pictures of “primitive” cultures, routinely deleting modern articles for daily use such as clocks and Western dress. They paid men and women to re-enact rituals or to pose as members of war or hunting parties, often with little regard for truthfulness. Edward Curtis, the legendary photographer of North American Indians, for example, got one Makah man to pose as a whaler with a spear in 1915 — even though the Makah had not hunted whales in a generation.

These photographs reinforced widely accepted stereotypes that native cultures were isolated, primitive, and unchanging. For instance, National Geographic magazine’s photographs have taught millions of Americans about other cultures. As Catherine Lutz and Jane Collins point out in their 1993 book Reading National Geographic, the magazine since its founding in 1888 has kept a tradition of presenting beautiful photos that don’t challenge white, middle-class American conventions. While dark-skinned women can be shown without tops, for example, white women’s breasts are taboo. Photos that could unsettle or disturb, such as areas of the world torn apart by war or famine, are discarded in favor of those that reassure, to conform with the society’s stated pledge to present only “kindly” visions of foreign societies. The result, Lutz and Collins say, is the display of “an idealized and exotic world relatively free of pain or class conflict.”

Lutz actually likes National Geographic a lot. She read the magazine as a child, and its lush imagery influenced her eventual choice of anthropology as a career. She just thinks that as people look at the photographs of other cultures, they should be alert to the choice of composition and images.

1. The main idea of the passage is _______.

A．Photographs taken by Western explorers reflect more Westerners’ perception of the native cultures and the Western values

B．There is a complicated relationship between the Western explorers and the primitive peoples

C．Popular magazines such as National Geographic should show pictures of the exotic and idealized worlds to maintain high sales

D．Anthropologists ask the natives to pose for their pictures, compromising the truthfulness of their pictures

2. We can infer from the passage that early travelers to the native lands often _______.

A．took pictures with the natives

B．gave exaggerated accounts of the native lands

C．ask for pictures from the natives

D．gave the natives clocks and Western dresses

3. The author mentions the movie Lawrence of Arabia to _______.

A．show how people in the native societies are portrayed by Westerners

B．illustrate how people from primitive societies see cameras as tools of black magic that steal their virtues

C．show how anthropologists portray untruthful pictures of native people

D．show the cruel and uncivilized side of the native people

4. In paragraph 2, the underlined part refers to _______.

A．the native culture	B．the Western culture
C．the academic culture	D．the news business culture

5. With which of the following statements would Catherine Lutz most probably agree?

A．Reporters from the Western societies should routinely delete modern elements in pictures taken of the native societies.

B．The primitive cultures are inferior to the more advanced Western culture.

C．The western media are not presenting a realistic picture of the faraway societies.

D．People in the Western news business should try not to challenge the well-established white middle-class values.

【推荐2】How the Elderly Are Treated Around the World

How cultures view and treat their elderly is closely linked to their most prized values and qualities.     1    

In the US and UK, Protestantism (新教) is at play. Western cultures tend to be youth-centric, stressing qualities like independence.     2     It ties a person’s value to his or her ability to work – something that becomes weaker in old age. As their health becomes worse, the elderly in these cultures often move to old people’s homes and nursing homes.

In France, parents are protected by law. It is difficult to imagine an Elderly Rights Law being a focus in the laws of many Western cultures. France did, however, pass a similar law in 2004.     3     One was a group of official statistics showing France had the highest rate of pensioner suicides in Europe, and the other was the aftermath of a heat wave that killed 15,000 people, most of whom were elderly and had been dead for weeks before they were found.

    4     Native American cultures traditionally accept death as a fact of life. In many Native American areas, elders are respected for their wisdom and life experiences. Within Native American families, it’s common for the elders to be expected to pass down their learning to younger members of the family.

The way to care for Chinese elders is changing. Chinese families traditionally view respect for one’s elders as the highest virtue, according to the Confucian tradition. Adult children are generally expected to care for their parents in their old age.     5     Nursing homes are beginning to become a more socially acceptable option for elderly care.

A．However, this tradition is beginning to break down due to rising lifetime and an aging population.

B．In the African-American area, death is seen as an opportunity to celebrate life.

C．Here’s what we can learn from other cultures about treating the elderly.

D．But China faces the unique problem of tending to an increasingly elderly population.

E．Native American elders pass down their knowledge.

F．It was only passed following two disturbing events, though.

G．This relates back to the Protestant work rules.

【推荐3】Every March, the country celebrates the accomplishments of women in American history. Even though these accomplishments go back a long way, most schools didn’t start focusing on women pioneers and their achievements until recently. Today, most colleges offer classes in women’s history and most schools teach kids about the many contributions women have made to our country.

On March 19, 1911，a German woman named Clara Zetkin organized the very first International Women’s Day. Inspired by American working women, the annual event took on the causes of peace and women’s rights. In the 1960s, the women's movement caused women to wonder why they weren’t included in the history books.

By the 1970s, more female historians began to look back at the contributions of women in history. In 1978，a California school district started Women’s History Week to promote the teaching of women’s history. School officials picked the week of March 8 to include International Women's Day. It was so popular that, in 1981, Congress passed a law making the week a celebration for the entire country. The concept of studying women's history continued to grow in popularity. In 1987, a group of women asked Congress to amplify the celebration. That same year, Congress declared the entire month of March National Women's History Months

Today, schools and communities across the country celebrate the month with special lessons and activities designed to teach the ways women have helped shape the U.S. The women who have worked hard to make women’s History Month a reality would like to see women’s history all year, not just every March. In 1996, the National Women’s History Museum was founded. It’s a non-profit organization devoted to preserving and celebrating the various contributions of women in history. The organization is working with Congress to open a permanent museum site in Washington, D. C.

1. What does the first paragraph imply?

A．Women's achievements used to be ignored in America.

B．More women pioneers are needed in America.

C．Celebrating women's achievements has a long history in America.

D．Few American schools pay attention to women s contributions.

2. According to the text, International Women’s Day ________.

A．is held every second year

B．has a history of over a century

C．was started by an American

D．was a product of women's movement

3. Which of the following words can replace the underlined word “amplify” in Paragraph 3?

A．organize	B．support
C．expand	D．protect

4. What can we know about the National Women’s History Museum from the text?

A．It was set up less than two decades ago.

B．It focuses on women’s historic contributions.

C．It is an organization aimed at making profits.

D．It has a permanent site in Washington, D. C.

【推荐1】Sparrow is a fast-food chain with 200 restaurants. Some years ago, the group to which Sparrow belonged was taken over by another company. Although Sparrow showed no sign of declining, the chain was generally in an unhealthy state. With more and more fast-food concepts reaching the market, the Sparrow menu had to struggle for attention. And to make matters worse, its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required.
Sparrow failed to grow for another two years. Until a new CEO, Carl Pearson, decided to build up its market share. He did a survey, which showed that consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain, while customers of other fast-food chains were unwilling to turn away from them. Sparrow had to develop a new promotional campaign.
Pearson faced a battle over the future of the Sparrow brand. The chain’s owner now favored rebranding Sparrow as Marcy’s restaurants. Pearson resisted, arguing for an advertising campaign designed to convince customers that visits to Sparrow restaurants were fun. Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time. Pearson strongly believed that numbers were the key to success, rather than customers’ speeding power. Finally, the owner accepted his idea.
The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fast-food industry. The TV ads of Sparrow focused on entertainment and featured original songs performed by a variety of stars. Instead of showing the superiority of a specific product, the intention was to put Sparrow in the hearts of potential customers.
Pearson also made other decisions which he believed would contribute to the new Sparrow image. For example, he offered to lower the rent of any restaurants which achieved a certain increase in their turnover (营业额) .
These efforts paid off, and Sparrow soon became one of the most successful fast-food chains in the regions where it operated.
1. Which was one of the problems Sparrow faced before Pearson became CEO?

A．The number of its customers was declining

B．Its customers found the food unhealthy

C．It was in need of financial support

D．Most of its restaurants were closed

2. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Customers of Sparrow restaurants	B．Sparrow restaurants
C．Customers of other fast-food chains	D．other fast-food chains

3. For what purpose did Pearson start the advertising campaign?

A．To build a good relationship with the public

B．To stress the unusual tradition of Sparrow

C．To lean about customers’ spending power.

D．To meet the challenge from Marcy’s restaurants.

4. The TV ads of Sparrow ________ .

A．changed people’s views on pop stars

B．amused the public with original songs

C．focused on the superiority of its products

D．influenced the eating habits of the audience

5. What was Pearson’s achievement as a CEO?

A．He managed to pay off Sparrow’s debts.

B．He made Sparrow much more competitive

C．He helped Sparrow take over a company

D．He improved the welfare of Sparrow employees

【推荐3】Why do people undertake volunteer work and what keeps their interest in the work?

Let’s begin with the question of why people volunteer. Researchers have identified several factors that motivate people to get involved. For example, people volunteer to express personal values related to unselfishness, to expand their range of experiences, and to strengthen social relationships. If volunteer positions do not meet these needs, people may not wish to participate. To select volunteers, you may need to understand the motivations of the people you wish to attract.

People also volunteer because they are required to do so. To increase levels of community service, some schools have launched compulsory volunteer programs. Unfortunately, these programs can shift people’s wish of participation from an internal factor to an external factor. When that happens, people become less likely to volunteer in the future. People must be sensitive to this possibility when they make volunteer activities a must.

Once people begin to volunteer, what leads them-to remain in their positions over time? To answer this question, researchers have conducted follow-up studies in which they track volunteers over time. For instance, one study followed 238 volunteers in Florida over a year. One of the most important factors that influenced their satisfaction as volunteers was the amount of suffering they experienced in their volunteer positions. Although this result may not surprise you, it leads to important practical advice. The researchers note that attention should be given to “training methods that would prepare volunteers for troublesome situations or provide them with strategies for coping with the problem they do experience”.

Another study of 302 volunteers at hospitals in Chicago focused on individual differences in the degree to which people view “volunteer” as an important social role. It was assumed that those people for whom the role of volunteer was most part of their personal identity would also be most likely to continue volunteer work. Participants indicated the degree to which the social role mattered by responding to statements such as “Volunteering in hospital is an important part of who I am.” Consistent with the researchers’ expectations, they found a positive correlation (正相关) between the strength of role identity and the length of time people continued to volunteer. These results, once again, result in concrete advice: “Once an individual begins volunteering, continued efforts might focus on developing a volunteer role identity... Items like T-shirts that allow volunteers to be recognized publicly for their contributions can help strengthen role identity.”

1. People volunteer mainly out of ________.

A．school requirements	B．social expectations
C．financial rewards	D．internal needs

2. What does the author want to tell us in the third paragraph?

A．People who participate in volunteer programs in schools are sensitive.

B．External factors are more important than internal factors in volunteer work.

C．Being required to be volunteers may make people reluctant to do volunteer work.

D．Volunteer programs in school can encourage people to do more volunteer work in future.

3. What can we learn from the Florida study?

A．Follow-up studies should last-for one year.

B．Volunteers should get mentally prepared.

C．Strategy training is a must in research.

D．Volunteers are provided with concrete advice.

4. What is most likely to motivate volunteers to continue their work?

A．Individual differences in role identity.

B．Practical advice from researchers.

C．Role identity as a volunteer.

D．Publicly identifiable volunteer T-shirts.