With the rapid spread of western culture, a
The reason behind this social phenomenon is obvious: in a society controlled by mass media and consumerism, festivals and holidays from abroad
We should think about the influence of such
Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize (强调) the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries -like the UK or France -people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment (多元文化环境)will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
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3 . Our culture is the system we use to build our identity. All living things are part of a culture. Even animals have a culture! So what is culture? It's the way we behave in a group. It begins with each individual (单个的) family. Within our families we do things to build relationships with each other. This can include routines like daily housework and weekly shopping. It also includes traditions. Traditions are activities that are repeated on a regular basis.
Culture is not limited to individual family groups. The real strength of culture is in larger community groups. These larger groups are called societies. Every society makes rules for itself. It decides how people should act in different situations. Some of these rules are written down. Some are just things that are naturally expected of all members of that society.
Often, cultures can be recognized by what the people believe. Cultures are also known by what they choose to include in their art. Sometimes cultures may be formed by people who speak the same language. Cultures may also be known for their customs, including the foods they make and the things they do.
Our cultures help us understand who we are and what we believe. There are very strong feelings connecting us to our own society. Two different cultures may disagree on something, especially if they both feel strongly about it. When that happens, war is a common result.
People are learning better ways to communicate with each other. The more we communicate, the more we appreciate the differences in cultures.
1. The underlined word routines in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.| A．hobbies | B．behaviors |
| C．formal activities | D．daily activities |
| A．In arts. | B．In societies. |
| C．In families. | D．In languages. |
| A．Culture doesn't exist in animals. |
| B．Culture is the way we behave. |
| C．Cultures may not agree with each other. |
| D．Cultures help us understand ourselves. |
| A．By building a wall. | B．By preparing to fight. |
| C．By communicating. | D．By making friends. |
| A．What Is Culture? | B．What Is Society? |
| C．What Is Tradition? | D．What Is System? |
1.时间
2.一同过节的家人
3.活动
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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5 . Human remains of ancient settlements will be reburied and lost to science under a law that threatens research into the history of humans in Britain, a group of leading archeologists (考古学家) says. In a letter addressed to the justice secretary, Ken Clarke, 40 archaeologists write of their “deep and widespread concern” about the issue. It centers on the law introduced by the Ministry of Justice in 2008 which requires all human remains unearthed in England and Wales to be reburied within two years, regardless of their age. The decision means scientists have too little time to study bones and other human remains of national and cultural significance.
“Your current requirement that all archaeologically unearthed human remains should be reburied, whether after a standard period of two years or further special extension, is contrary to basic principles of archaeological and scientific research and of museum practice,” they write.
The law applies to any pieces of bone uncovered at around 400 dig including the remains of 60 or so bodies found at Stonehenge in 2008 that date back to 3,000 BC. Archaeologists have been granted a temporary extension to give them more time, but eventually the bones will have to he returned to the ground.
The arrangements may result in the waste of future discoveries at sites such as Happisburgh in Norfolk, where digging is continuing after the discovery of stone tools made by early humans 950,000 years ago. If human remains were found at Happisburgh, they would be the oldest in northern Europe and the first indication of what this species was. Under the current practice of the law those remains would have to be reburied and effectively destroyed.
Before 2008, guidelines allowed for the proper preservation and study of bones of sufficient age and historical interest, while the Burial Act 1857 applied to more recent remains. The Ministry of Justice assured archaeologists two years ago that the law was temporary, but has so far failed to revise it.
Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at Sheffield University, said: “Archaeologists have been extremely patient because we were led to believe the ministry was sorting out this problem, but we feel that we cannot wait any longer.”
The ministry has no guidelines on where or how remains should be reburied, or on what records should be kept.
1. According to the passage, scientists are unhappy with the law mainly because .| A．it is only a temporary measure on the human remains |
| B．it was introduced by the government without their knowledge |
| C．it is unreasonable and thus destructive to scientific research |
| D．it is vague about where and how to rebury human remains |
| A．Temporary extension of two years will guarantee scientists enough time. |
| B．Human remains of the oldest species were dug out at Happisburgh. |
| C．Scientists have been warned that the law can hardly be changed. |
| D．Human remains will have to be reburied despite the extension of time. |
| A．The Ministry of Justice has not done enough about the law. |
| B．The Burial Act 1857 only applied to remains uncovered before 1857. |
| C．The law on human remains hasn’t changed in recent decades. |
| D．The Ministry of Justice did not intend it to protect human remains. |
| A．New discoveries should be reburied, the government demands. |
| B．Law could bury ancient secrets for ever, archeologists warn. |
| C．Law on human remains needs thorough discussion, authorities say. |
| D．Research time should be extended, scientists require. |
6 . The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years. The Maya were so bright that they achieved a lot. They had farms, temples and cities with many buildings. They knew much about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time.
In ancient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of crops around it. The Maya planted seeds after they cleared the land. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were builders or priests (祭司)．
The Maya believed in many gods. They built large temples to honor them. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was difficult because they had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.
Although the Maya worked hard to build the beautiful cities, very few of them lived in them. Usually, only the priests lived in the cities. The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature.
Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one knows why this happened. They may have died from a deadly disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. The lost secrets of the Maya are still beyond the reach of modern people. They are still one of our greatest mysteries.
1. The Maya lived better than most people of their times because ______．| A．they had skillful workers |
| B．they believed in many gods |
| C．they knew better about nature |
| D．they could measure time correctly |
| A．the priests were not highly respected by the ancient Maya |
| B．the ancient Mayan cities and temples were well built |
| C．the ancient Mayan people led a happy life in the cities |
| D．the ancient Mayan people died from a serious disease |
| A．the Mayan people | B．the Mayan villages |
| C．the Mayan cities | D．the lost secrets of the Maya |
| A．The Cities of the Maya | B．The Belief of the Maya |
| C．The Maya | D．The Buildings of the Maya |
7 . Street dances are dance styles that evolved (演变)outside of dance studios in any available open space.They are often improvisational (即兴的）and social in nature, encouraging interaction and contact with audiences and the other dancers.These dances generally evolve out of urban and suburban spaces and are a part of the native culture of that geographical area.Some examples of street dances include b-boying, or breakdancing, which originated in New York City.
Street dances are dances that evolve between people in a social environment, although it cannot be always determined as to how they actually do evolve between people.In theory, as one person comes up with a move that looks good to another person, the other person tries to copy that move.Similar to the game of Chinese whispers, the effect is that the other person cannot absolutely perform that move the same way as the other person, thus leading to the dancers creating their own style or entirely new moves.
There is a small difference between entirely freestyle dance and an absolute street dance.While freestyle dance is random and a personal dance invented by a single person (even if it’s based on someone else’s dance style) , a full street dance is a collection of the various similar dance moves and styles collected into one practice and regarded as the same dance.For example, when b-boying evolved out of the early hip-hop culture, people came up with their own moves，and other people improved them.Street dances constantly evolve for as long as they are now and then practiced and regarded as the same dance.All the moves danced to breaks in hip-hop culture were regarded as b-boying.
Sometimes it is possible to trace back street dance styles that were mostly pioneered by specific (具体的）people.One example is locking, which is often regarded as being started by Don Campbell, who was a 1970s pioneer of American street dance.Most of the time it is impossible to owe street dances to specific people, since the dances evolve outside of professional dance environments, and there is no social or legal record.Street dance pioneers also rarely have professional degrees in dance, thus distinguishing street dances from other modern dance forms.
1. Paragraph 1 is intended to tell us the _________of street dances.| A．varieties | B．changes |
| C．characteristics | D．distributions |
| A．Dancers perform them in dance studios. |
| B．They are developed by professional dancers. |
| C．They are collected from different moves and styles. |
| D．Dancers create moves based on other people’s moves. |
| A．stress a street dancer's own style |
| B．show the effect of Chinese Whispers |
| C．introduce a popular Chinese game |
| D．explain the characteristics of street dances |
| A．a travel journal |
| B．a history textbook |
| C．a popular magazine |
| D．a museum brochure |
