十一、语言与文化
TEXT 94
In our study across 33 societies published in Science, we found that cultures vary in the strength of their social norms, with profound consequences for our worldviews, our environments, and our brains. Some cultures are tight, with little tolerance for deviance, while loose cultures have weak norms and are highly permissive. Tight cultures have more order. They are more coordinated, more uniform, and people exhibit more self-control. Loose cultures are comparatively more disorganized and there is less self-control.
But this distinctions isn't just relevant for nations. The U. S. 50 states can be classified in terms of their levels of tightness, as can organizations. Our recent research also shows that the working class is tighter than the upper class. Even our own households vary in terms of how strict or permissive we are. It's remarkable to see how similar this pattern is across different scales.
Tightness is an important framework to understand the rise of Trump and other leaders in Poland, Hungary, Italy, etc. When people perceive threat, whether real or imagined, they want strong rules and autocratic leaders to help them survive. My research has shown that even illusory threats can lead to a remarkably tight psychology. Within minutes of exposing study participants to false information about terrorist incidents, overpopulation, pathogen outbreaks, and natural disasters, their minds tightened. They wanted stronger rules, favored their own tribe, and became intolerant of outsiders.
We also found this in studies of Trump and Le Pen. People who felt threatened in our surveys felt the U. S. was too loose and needed stronger rules, and this predicted their support for Trump. Trump seems to understand this psychology of threat. He continually states that Western civilization faces“dire threats, ”that“our country is in serious trouble, ”and that“something dangerous is going on. ”The goal:To inspire fear, tighten groups, and be perceived as the only person who can deliver safety. Trump's strategy has been enormously successful because it taps into a deep evolutionary principle that has helped nations survive for millennia. When people think their culture is“on the brink of disaster, ”their immediate response is to embrace tight rules and tough leaders.
Societal tightening in response to real threat is adaptive, but tightening in response to manufactured threats can be destructive. Today we face real challenges, but we're also confronted with unprecedented levels of fake, manufactured, and exaggerated threats that could push our nation toward unnecessary levels of tightness. Now more than ever, we need to work together to separate the illusory threats from the real ones.
1.It seems that central to the distinction of tightness is ________.
[A]the difference in worldviews
[B]the tolerance for deviance
[C]the nature of societal norms
[D]the attitude of the people
2.The last sentence of the second paragraph means ________.
[A]any culture can be classified as being tight or loose
[B]America varies in tightness of culture across states
[C]entities of various sizes can be measured by tightness
[D]it is difficult to identify similar patterns across cultures
3.Trump is said to be good at ________.
[A]instilling people with fear of threat
[B]handling various threatening incidents
[C]exposing his voters to false information
[D]imposing strong rules on various tribes
4.It is important to know that tightness in culture ________.
[A]is neither good nor bad in itself
[B]is very harmful to modern life
[C]is badly needed by some countries
[D]is a false proposition in psychology
5.The word that is closest in meaning to“manufactured”in the last paragraph is ________.
[A]unprecedented
[B]perceived
[C]illuminated
[D]fabricated
考研必备词汇
1.norm/nɔːm/n．规范，标准
2.profound/prə ˈfaund/a．深远的；意味深长的
3.consequence/ ˈkɔnsikwəns/n．结果，后果
4.tolerance/ ˈtɔlərəns/vt．容忍；宽容
5.deviance/ ˈdiːviəns/n．偏离常规；异常
6.permissive/pə ˈmisiv/a．宽容的，容许的
7.coordinate/kəu ˈɔːdineit/vt．协调，协作
8.uniform/ ˈjuːnifɔːm/a．一律的；一样的
9.exhibit/iɡ ˈzibit/vt．展出；展现，表现
10.relevant/ ˈrelivənt/a．有关的，切题的
11.classify/ ˈklæsifai/vt．把……分类
12.household/ ˈhaushəuld/n．家，户；家务
13.remarkable/ri ˈmɑːkəbl/a．卓越的，出色的；值得一提的
14.framework/ ˈfreimwəːk/n．框架，结构
15.autocratic/ˈɔːtəu ˈkrætik/a．专制的，独裁的
16.illusory/i ˈluːsəri/a．幻觉的，虚假的
17.terrorist/ ˈterərist/a．恐怖分子的，恐怖主义的
18.incident/ ˈinsidənt/n．事件，事变
19.tribe/traib/n．部落；一类人，群
20.intolerant/in ˈtɔlərənt/a．不容忍的，不宽容的
21.survey/səː ˈvei/n．测量，调查；评述，评论
22.civilization/ˈsivilai ˈzeiʃn/n．文明
23.dire/ ˈdaiə/a．悲惨的，可怕的
24.inspire/in ˈspaiə/vt．激发，鼓励；引起
25.enormously/iˈnɔːməsli/ad．庞大地，巨大地
26.evolutionary/ˈevə ˈluːʃənəri/a．进化（论）的
27.millennia/mi ˈleniə/（millennium 的复数）n.千年
28.on the brink of 处于……边缘
29.embrace/im ˈbreis/vt．拥抱；欣然接受
30.societal/sə ˈsaiətl/a．社会的
31.adaptive/ə ˈdæptiv/a．适应的；有适应作用的
32.manufacture/ˈmænj u ˈfæktʃə/vt．制造；捏造
33.confront/kən ˈfrʌnt/vt．面临，面对
34.unprecedented/ʌn ˈpresidəntid/a．空前的
35.exaggerate/iɡ ˈzædʒəreit/vt．夸大，夸张
其他词汇
1.pathogen 病原体
2.tap into 充分利用
疑难长句注解
1.Within minutes of exposing...tightened.（第三段）
这句话和下一句话描述的都是作者的实验过程，因此实验对象被称作study participants。词组expose...to意为“让……接触，把……暴露在”; their minds tightened实际上不是说他们心理变得紧张，而是说他们对别人的要求更严，更不容易接纳和宽容地对待别人。
译文
我们发表在《科学》杂志上的一项研究涉及33个社会，我们发现这些文化在社会规范的力度上有所区别，这给我们的世界观、环境和大脑带来深刻影响。某些文化紧，几乎容不得偏离；而松的文化规范弱，宽容度高。紧的文化更有秩序。它们更协调，更一致，人们表现出更多自制力。松的文化相比较而言更缺乏组织性，自制力更差。
但是，这些区分不仅仅适用于国家。美国的50个州都可以根据它们紧的程度加以归类，组织也是这样。我们最新的研究也表明，劳动阶层比上层阶层更紧。即使是我们的家庭，在紧松方面也有差别。非常值得一提的是，这一模式在各种规模的组织上都是类似的。
松紧是一个重要框架，有助于我们理解特朗普和波兰、匈牙利、意大利等国领导人的上台。当人们察觉到威胁时，不管这个威胁是真实的还是想象的，他们都想要强有力的规则和专制的领袖帮助他们生存。我的研究表明，即使是幻想的威胁也可能导向明显的紧张心理。在让研究的参与者接触到虚假信息的几分钟内——这些虚假信息包括恐怖分子袭击事件、人口过剩、病原体爆发和自然灾难，他们就会紧张起来。他们想要更强有力的规则，偏向自己圈子里的人，对外来者失去耐心。
我们在研究特朗普和勒庞时也发现了这一点。在我们的调查中，那些感觉到威胁的人认为美国太松，需要更强有力的规则，这预示着他们会支持特朗普。特朗普似乎明白这种（惧怕）威胁的心理。他继续说，西方文明面临“紧迫的威胁”，他说“我们的国家陷入了严重的麻烦”，他还说“一件有威胁的事情正在发生”。其目的是：引起恐慌，收紧族群，被看作唯一能带来安全的人。特朗普的策略取得了巨大成功，因为它充分利用了深刻的进化论原则，这一原则帮助国家存活了数千年。当人们认为自己的文化“处于灾难边缘”时，他们的直接反应是拥护紧的规则和强有力的领袖。
面对真实的威胁社会变得紧起来，这是社会适应（环境）的结果，但是面对假造的威胁紧起来，却是有害的。今天我们面临真正的挑战，但是我们也面临前所未有多的虚假的、假造的和夸大了的威胁，这会把我们的国家推到没必要的紧的程度。现在比以往任何时候，我们更需要共同合作，一起把虚幻的威胁与真正的威胁区分开来。
TEXT 95
“Nothing about us, without us! ”—a powerful statement of engagement, created during the disability riots that led to the creation of the Disability Discrimination Act in the UK in 1995, but does it still have relevance today? I have worked as a disabled actor, writer and producer for the last 10 years and I would argue that the phrase“nothing about us, without us”has never been more important.
During the London film festival, two films gaining much attention are Stronger, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Jeff Bauman, who became a double amputee after the Boston marathon bombings in 2013, and Breathe, with Andrew Garfield as Robin Cavendish who became paralysed by polio from the neck down in 1958 and, against all odds, became a disability advocate. They are based on true stories, not some fictional narrative far removed from the reality of disability, and both films actively engaged the person and families involved.
But why is disability representation important at all? There are 13 million disabled people living in the UK, roughly 20% of the population. The annual disposable income of all households with at least one member of the family with a disability is £249bn, a staggering amount which is referred to as the purple pound. Yet this large minority, with a large amount of money to spend, is not being targeted by the media as a valued audience.
Then there is also the social value of disability representation. Put simply, the disabled community is not being allowed the right to comment on the world around it. It is the duty of the arts to highlight and change perceptions. The problem comes when non-disabled people are the only people creating the narrative. While they might be able to understand some of the medical aspects, to represent us they must understand our culture and that is where most depictions of disability fail.
A non-disabled writer with no experience of disability will have no clue about the smell of burning rubber in a sports hall during a wheelchair basketball match, what it's like to sit at home with your father cleaning your wheelchair, learning which spanner to use on it, or that loving moment when you kiss your wife at the altar and she sits on your lap. Those moments come from my experience:that combined experience shared with other disabled people creates our culture and who we are as a community. It is vitally important that no film in the future depicts disability without engaging disabled people.
1.“Nothing about us, without us! ”is a demand of the disabled for ________.
[A]greater equality in participation
[B]more important roles in films
[C]more films depicting their lives
[D]more tolerance from laws
2.Which of the following is true about the two films？
[A]The persons played themselves in both of them.
[B]They depicted the glorious lives of the disabled.
[C]Both of them were made by British producers.
[D]Both were written and produced by the author.
3.The author's attitude to the two films is ________.
[A]critical
[B]reserved
[C]impersonal
[D]positive
4.Most depictions of disability fail because ________.
[A]the creators do not understand disability culture
[B]they do not represent some good social values
[C]the disabled refuse to make comment on them
[D]they overemphasize changed social perceptions
5.The last paragraph is mainly about ________.
[A]the daily life of the author as a disabled person
[B]the films that fail to represent the disabled people
[C]the emotional personal pains the author experiences
[D]the rich daily engagements of the disable people
考研必备词汇
1.engagement/in ˈɡ eidʒmənt/n．约定；婚约；雇用；参与
2.disability/ˈdisə ˈbiliti/n．无能；伤残，残疾
3.riot/ ˈraiət/n．骚乱，动乱
4.discrimination/disˈkrimi ˈneʃiən/n．鉴别，区别；歧视
5.relevance/ ˈrelivəns/n．关联，相关性
6.marathon/ ˈmærəθən/n．马拉松
7.paralyse/ ˈpærəlaiz/vt．使瘫痪
8.against all odds 在极端不利的情况下
9.advocate/ ˈædvəkeit/n．倡导者，支持者；辩护者
10.fictional/ ˈfikʃənəl/a．小说的，虚构的
11.narrative/ ˈnærətiv/n．叙述；记叙文；故事
12.representation/ˈreprizen ˈteiʃən/n．表现，描述；代表
13.disposable/dis ˈpəuzəbl/a．可支付的；可处理的
14.household/ ˈhaushəuld/n．家庭，户；家属
15.staggering/ ˈstæɡəriŋ/a．摇晃的；巨大的，惊人的
16.highlight/ ˈhaˈi lait/vt．强调，突出
17.perception/pə ˈsepʃən/n．知觉；认识，观念
18.depiction/di ˈpikʃən/n．描述，刻画
19.clue/kluː/n．线索，提示
20.rubber/ ˈrʌbə/n．橡胶；橡皮
21.altar/ ˈɔːltə/n．圣坛，祭坛
22.lap/læp/n．膝；怀抱
23.vitally/ ˈvaitəli/ad．极其，至关重要地；充满活力地
其他词汇
1.amputee 被截肢者
2.polio 小儿麻痹症
3.spanner 扳手
疑难长句注解
1.They are based on true...involved.（第二段）
本句中，fictional意为“虚构的”; narrative意为“故事”; far removed from the reality of disability是过去分词短语，作定语修饰narrative，指脱离残疾人生活现实的。
2.Yet this large minority...audience.（第三段）
本句中this large minority指1300万残疾人群体，a large amount of money指残疾人家庭的可支配收入，is not being targeted by the media as a valued audience是说影视界没有制作出令残疾人观众满意的电影，因此残疾人不愿意看这些电影。
3.Put simply, the disabled...perceptions.（第四段）
这两句话都是对电影界的批评，第一句说电影的制作不让残疾人参与其中；第二句是说艺术能改变人们对世界的看法，但是，由于这些有关残疾人生活的电影没有残疾人的参与，因此它们不能真实表现残疾人的生活感受，结果会让普通观众错误地看待残疾人的生活。这里，put simply可以译为“简而言之”。
4.A non-disabled writer with...your lap.（第五段）
本句很长，都是批评影视制作者（writer这里指写作剧本的人）不懂残疾人的生活感受。句中have no clue about意为“丝毫不懂”, learning which spanner to use on it是说学会修理轮椅，kiss your wife at the altar是说在教堂里举行结婚仪式时亲吻新娘的环节。
译文
“没有我们参与，就别决定我们的事情！”这是一个强有力的参与口号，创造于残疾人暴乱期间，暴乱活动导致英国于1995年制定了《残疾人歧视法》，但是这个口号跟今天还有什么联系呢？十年来，我一直是残疾人演员、作家和制作人，我的观点是：这个口号比以往任何时候都更重要。
在伦敦电影节上，两部电影引起了人们的关注，一部是《坚强》，由Jake Gyllenhaal扮演Jeff Bau man，主人公在2013年波士顿马拉松爆炸中受伤，双腿截肢；另一部是《呼吸》，由Andrew Garfield扮演Robin Cavendish，主人公在1958年因患小儿麻痹症造成高位截瘫，他与命运作斗争，成为残疾人代言人。两部电影都基于真实故事，而不是一些与残疾人现实毫不相干的虚构故事，而且它们都让其个人或家属积极参与其中。
但是，残疾人的代表性究竟为什么是重要的呢？有1300万残疾人住在英国，大约占总人口的20%。至少有一名残疾人的所有家庭的每年可支配收入是2490亿英镑，这个庞大的数字被称作“紫色英镑”。可是，这一巨大的少数群体，他们有这么多钱能花，却没有被媒体当作有价值的观众目标。
然后，还有残疾人代表性的社会价值。简而言之，残疾人群体没有被赋予评价其周围世界的权利。强调或改变一些认识，那是艺术的义务。当非残疾人是创造故事的唯一人群时，问题就来了。虽然他们能理解一些医学方面，但是想要代表我们，他们必须理解我们的文化，许多对残疾人的描述之所以失败，原因就在这里。
一名没有残疾经历的非残疾人作家根本就不知道橡胶烧焦的味道，在轮椅篮球比赛时体育馆里就充满这样的味道；他不知道坐在家里看着父亲清理你的轮椅以及学会用什么样的扳手来修理它的感受；他也不知道在圣坛边上亲吻妻子、让她坐在你腿上的示爱时刻。这些时刻来自我的亲身经历：我的这些经历和其他残疾人的经历一起构成了我们的文化和我们这个群体的身份。以后的电影如果不让残疾人参与就别表现残疾人的生活，这至关重要。
TEXT 96
Last week, the Royal Society held its ceremony to honor the best popular-science book of the year.Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, the president of the Royal Society announced that Andrea Wulf had won for The Invention of Nature.
Wulf's book was particularly deserving, which is why it was so infuriating to read a recent column that attempts to diminish her achievement.Five days after the award was announced, John Dugdale, the media editor of The Guardian, wrote a piece that asked“Why have women finally started winning science book prizes? ”According to him, the Royal Society caved to pressure created by the example of another“more female-friendly”prize.His piece suggests that the judges' taste is shifting from“male”approaches to science writing that emphasize“a problem, a mystery, or an underexplored scientific field, ”towards a feminine tendency“to focus on people.”
Dugdale describes Wulf's book as a kind of soft option, just a single-subject biography, the first to win the Royal Society prize for almost two decades.That's both wrong and obtuse in its stereotyping as female what is one of the most basic tools almost every non-fiction writer uses.As its title suggests, Wulf's The Invention of Nature is at once the biography of Alexander von Humboldt, and an extended account of the development of the idea he championed.The stuff of life leads to the stuff of thought.That Dugdale thinks a biographical approach is somehow a peculiarly female pursuit is simply risible.
When I read The Invention of Nature, long before it was nominated for the Royal Society prize, it was obvious that it was a contender for major honors.It told a fine and little known story; it connected the personal to a big idea, and the past to a very pressing present-day concern.In the end we boiled down what we were looking for to two central criteria.The prose had to be beautiful; we wanted a book that made art out of words.And the book had to take us somewhere we couldn't have gone on our own.Scale wasn't the issue, nor topic, nor style or approach; just high craft and a view of the world that could carry readers into experiences otherwise unavailable to them.
In that context Dugdale's hints at something dodgy in the process are more than just wrong;they're malign, potentially damaging to aspirations and careers.Discounting a great work at the moment it earns one of science writing's highest honors based on the gender of its creator is just one more barrier women science writers have to deal with that men don't.
1.The author was angry with Dugdale's article due to ________.
[A]its sexist response to the award
[B]its delayed response to such a good book
[C]its pretense to be female friendly
[D]its unfair accusation of the judges
2.In his article, Dugdale implies Wulf's book ________.
[A]is not worth reading at all
[B]takes an easier approach
[C]ignores the basics of writing
[D]simplifies Humboldt's life
3.The two criteria for a wonderful biography include ________.
[A]the personal and the big idea
[B]the past and present-day concern
[C]the beautiful words and the style
[D]high craft and a unique world view
4.The author considers Dugdale's view to be ________.
[A]worthy of attention
[B]inspiring to women writers
[C]unacceptable to female writers
[D]critical but harmless
5.The text is ________.
[A]an extract of science fiction
[B]a review of a book
[C]a review of an article
[D]an extract of a biography
考研必备词汇
1.royal/ ˈrɔiəl/a．王室的，皇家的
2.ceremony/ ˈseriməni/n．仪式，典礼
3.announce/ə ˈnauns/vt．宣布，通知
4.deserving/di ˈzəːviŋ/a．应该的，值得的
5.infuriate/in ˈfj uərieit/vt．激怒
6.column/ ˈkɔləm/n．圆柱；（报纸等）栏目
7.diminish/di ˈminiʃ/vt．缩小；贬低
8.achievement/ə ˈtʃiːvmənt/n．完成；成就，成绩
9.emphasize/ ˈemfəsaiz/vt．强调
10.mystery/ ˈmistəri/n．神秘，秘密
11.feminine/ ˈfeminin/a．女性的
12.option/ ˈɔpʃən/n．选择
13.biography/bai ˈɔɡ rəfi/n．传记，生平
14.stereotype/ ˈstiəriəutaip/vt．将……刻板化，将……固定化
15.title/ ˈtaitl/n．题目；头衔
16.champion/ ˈtʃæmpjən/vt．主张，拥护
17.peculiarly/pi ˈkj uːliəli/ad．专门地，特别地；奇怪地
18.pursuit/pə ˈsjuːt/n．追求，追赶；从事研究
19.nominate/ ˈnɔmineit/vt．提名
20.contender/kən ˈtendə/n．竞争者，争夺者
21.pressing/ ˈpresiŋ/a．紧急的，急迫的
22.boil down 浓缩，归结
23.central/ ˈsentrəl/a．中央的；核心的
24.criterion/krai ˈtiəriən/n．（pl.criteria）标准
25.prose/prəuz/n．散文，文笔
26.craft/kraːft/n．手艺，技艺
27.context/ ˈkɔntekst/n．语境，背景
28.hint/hint/vi．暗示
29.malign/mə ˈlain/a．邪恶的，中伤的
30.aspiration/ˈæspə ˈreiʃən/n．渴望，志气，抱负
31.discount/ ˈdiskaunt/vt．打折扣；看低，不重视
32.barrier/ ˈbæriə/n．障碍
其他词汇
1.cave to 屈服于
2.obtuse 迟钝的
3.risible 可笑的
4.dodgy 躲躲闪闪的
疑难长句注解
1.As its title suggests...championed.（第三段）
动词suggest意为“（间接）表明”, at once...and意为“既……也”，洪堡是德国哲学家、思想家、语言学家、教育家、政治家，account意为“记述，讲述”, he指洪堡。
2.Discounting a great work...men don't.（第五段）
本句的主语是discounting...creator这个现在分词短语，其中a great work指获英国皇家学会奖的这本书——这也是英国最高图书奖；based on the gender of its creator修饰discount，即仅仅因为书的作者是女性就看低这本书——Dugdale在其评论中暗示该书获奖是因为皇家学会不想让世人认为自己歧视女性。谓语部分是is...don't，其中just one more意为“又一个，另一个”。作者的意思是：如果男性作者获奖，大家不会说有性别因素在起作用，但是女性获奖却被认为与性别有关，这本身就是妇女要应对的性别歧视。
译文
上周，皇家学会举行仪式，为本年度最畅销的科普图书颁奖。学会主席Venkatraman Ramakrishnan宣布，Andrea Wulf的《自然的发明》获奖。
Wulf的书非常值得获奖，这就是为什么读到最近一个专栏文章时我感到特别气愤，该文试图贬低她的成就。在宣布获奖五天后，《卫报》的媒体编辑John Dugdale写了一篇文章，文章问到：“妇女为什么最终开始获得科学书籍奖了？”在他看来，皇家学会屈服于压力，想要成为另一个“女性友好型”奖项的样板。他的文章暗示，评委的品位正在从“男性”写作中重视“问题、神秘、未深入探索的科学领域”的科学书籍，向着“重视人”的女性倾向发展。
Dugdale把Wulf的书描述为容易写的东西，就像是单主题的传记，近二十年来第一次获得皇家学会奖。这不仅是错误的，而且是愚蠢的，因为文章把几乎每一个非小说作家使用的最基本的工具刻板地看作女性独用的。像书的名字所说的那样，Wulf的《自然的发明》既是一本洪堡的传记，也是对洪堡所捍卫的思想发展过程的广泛描述。生活材料导向思想材料。Dugdale认为用传记的写法是女性专有的写作手法，这简直是荒唐。
在获得皇家学会奖提名很久前我就读了《自然的发明》，当时我就认为它是各类重大奖项的角逐者。它讲述了一个美好但不为人知的故事；它把个人生活与一个伟大的思想联系起来，把过去与当代的紧迫问题联系起来。最后，我们把自己寻找的东西总结为两个核心标准。其文笔必须是美的；我们想要一本把文字转化为艺术的书。而且，书必须把我们带往我们自己想不到去的某个地方。规模不是问题，话题也不是问题，风格或方法都不是；只有高超的创作技艺和世界观，才能把读者带进一个他们自己想象不到的经历中。
依照这种情景来看，Dugdale一些闪烁其词的暗示远远不止是错误的；它们是恶意的，对写作灵感和写作生涯都有潜在的破坏作用。一本书获得科普类最高奖项，这时候仅仅因为其作者是女性来诋毁这本杰作，这说明，女性科普作家仍然面临着男性作家不面临的又一个障碍。
TEXT 97
Over the past decade, social psychologists have dazzled us with studies showing that huge social problems can seemingly be rectified through simple tricks.But as with many branches of psy chology, wise interventions are taking a battering.A new wave of studies that attempted to replicate the promising experiments have found discouraging results.At worst, they suggest that the original successes were mirages.At best, they reveal that pulling off these tricks at a large scale will be more challenging than commonly believed.
Consider a recent study by Christopher Bryan along with Walton and others.During the 2008 U. S.presidential election, they sent a survey to 133 Californian voters.Some were asked：“How important is it to you to vote in the upcoming election? ”Others received the same question but with a slight tweak:“How important is it to you to be a voter in the upcoming election? ”Once the ballots were cast, the team checked the official state records.They found that 96 percent of those who read the“be a voter”question showed up to vote, compared to just 82 percent of those who read the“to vote”version.A tiny linguistic tweak led to a huge 14 percentage point increase in turnout.The team explained that nouns create a much stronger sense of self-identity than verbs because they define who we are rather than what we do.
When Alan Gerber heard about the results, he was surprised.As a political scientist at Yale University, he knew that previous experiments involving thousands of people had never mobilized voters to that degree.So Gerber remained open-minded.“When something has an outsized effect, skepticism is understandable but if your attitude is overwhelming skepticism, you'll reject a lot of very good science, ”he says.So he repeated Bryan's experiment.His team delivered the same survey to 4,400 voters in days leading up to the 2014 primary elections in Michigan, Missouri, and Tennessee.And they found that using the noun version instead of the verb one had no effect on voter turnout.Their much larger study completely failed to replicate the original effects.
There are many reasons why researchers might be unable to replicate the results of an earlier study.It could be that the original experiment was flawed, and its results were a random fluke.Also, psychologists often tamper with details of their studies in ways that produce positive and publishable results, but also illusory and irreproducible ones.The second study doesn't necessarily mean that the verb-noun effect isn't real, just that it might only show up in some situations and not others.
1.By saying“wise interventions are taking a battering”, the author means ________.
[A]such solutions to the problems work out well
[B]simple tricks may not solve big social problems
[C]prior studies lay good foundation for new ones
[D]the new wave of studies yield disappointing results
2.The expression“pulling off these tricks”means ________.
[A]cancelling the tricks
[B]simplifying the tricks
[C]making the tricks work
[D]applying the tricks
3.Using verbs is less persuasive because ________.
[A]they encourage people to take action
[B]they often have ambiguous meanings
[C]they do not tell people who they are
[D]they often twist the intended meaning
4.Gerber's first reaction to Bryan's study is ________.
[A]amazement
[B]acceptance
[C]dismissal
[D]suspicion
5.The author concludes the discussion by insisting that ________.
[A]scientific results should not be easily rejected
[B]scientists should present the details of their studies
[C]the first experiment is fake with illusory results
[D]there is no difference between verbs and nouns
考研必备词汇
1.dazzle/ ˈdæzl/vt．使目眩；使眼花缭乱
2.rectify/ ˈrektifai/vt．纠正，校正
3.as with 像……的情况一样
4.intervention/ˈintə ˈvenʃən/n．干预，干涉
5.replicate/ ˈreplikeit/vt．重复，复制
6.promising/ ˈprɔmisiŋ/a．有前途的，有希望的
7.original/ə ˈridʒənəl/a．最初的，原初的；原创的
8.pull off a trick 成功完成
9.survey/səː ˈvei/n．调查，测量
10.upcoming/ ˈʌpˈkʌmiŋ/a．即将到来的
11.ballot/ ˈbælət/n．选票
12.cast/kaːst/vt．投，掷
13.show up 出现
14.version/ ˈvəːʃən/n．版本
15.linguistic/liŋ ˈgwistik/a．语言（学）的
16.turnout/ ˈtəːnaut/n．产量；出门参与者
17.mobilize/ ˈməubilaiz/vt．动员，移动
18.skepticism/ ˈskeptisizəm/n．怀疑态度，怀疑主义
19.overwhelming/ˈəuvə ˈwelmiŋ/a．压倒的，势不可挡的
20.reject/ri ˈdʒekt/vt．拒绝（接受）
21.deliver/di ˈlivə/vt．投递；交给；发表
22.flaw/flɔː/v．有缺陷
23.random/ ˈrændəm/a．随机的，偶然的
24.tamper/ ˈtæmpə/vi．（with）拨弄，篡改
25.illusory/i ˈluːsəri/a．虚幻的
26.irreproducible/iˈriːprə ˈdjuːsəbl/a．不能复制的，不能生产的
其他词汇
1.battering 冲撞，损伤
2.mirage 海市蜃楼
3.tweak 扭，调整
4.outsized 特大（号）的，超大的
5.fluke 偶然事件
译文
在过去几十年里，社会心理学家用一些研究成果使我们感到眼花缭乱，这些研究表明，巨大的社会问题似乎都可以通过简单的小伎俩加以纠正。但是像心理学的其他分支一样，精明的干预措施受到了抨击。试图重复这类有前途的实验的新一波研究发现了令人沮丧的结果。在最糟糕的情形下，它们表明原来的成功只是海市蜃楼；在最好的情形下，它们表明在更大规模上耍弄这些小伎俩比通常认为的更富有挑战性。
让我们来看看Christopher Bryan带领Walton和其他人最近做的一项研究。在2008年美国总统选举中，他们向133名加州选民发放了一份调查。他们问有些选民，“在即将到来的选举中你认为投票重要吗？”其他选民也收到一个问题，但问法有点儿调整：“在即将到来的选举中你认为自己应该成为选民吗？”投票结束后，研究组查对了加州的官方记录。他们发现，在读到“成为选民”问题的人中，有96%出来投票，而读到“投票”的人中只有82%的人出来投票。一个微小的语言调整导致出来投票的人数产生14个百分点的增长。研究组解释说，名词产生的自我身份感比动词强得多，因为名词对我们本人进行定义而不是对我们做的事情进行定义。
当Alan Gerber听到结果后，他感到吃惊。作为耶鲁大学政治科学家，他知道以前涉及成千上万的人的实验从来没有能够在如此大规模上动员选民。因此，Gerber保持着开放心态。他说，“当某件事情产生出被夸大的效果时，怀疑态度是可以理解的；但是如果你在大部分情况下都采取怀疑态度，你就会拒绝很多好的科学结论。”所以，他重复了Bryan的实验。在2014年的初级选举前数日内，他的研究小组把同一份调查在密歇根州、密苏里州和田纳西州向4400人发放。他们发现，使用名词而不是动词对选举人数没有影响。他们这些更大规模的研究完全没有产生出原来的研究中取得的效果。
有很多理由解释研究者为什么没能重复前一项研究的结果。可能是原来的实验有缺陷，其结果只是一个随机的偶然事件。也可能心理学家经常操控他们的研究细节，以便使之产生正面的、可发表的结果，但这些结果是幻想出来的，是不可重复的。第二项研究不一定意味着名词与动词之间的效果不存在差异，只是意味着这种效果可能在某些情景下存在，在其他情景下不存在。
TEXT 98
MasterCard unveiled its new logo earlier this summer, and as far as rebrandings go, the tweaks were subtle:The company kept its overlapping red and yellow balls intact, and moved its name, which was previously front and center, to beneath the balls, while making the text lowercase.With increasing frequency, MasterCard said, it would do away with using its name in the logo entirely.The focus would be more on the symbol than the words.MasterCard's move reflects a wider shift among some of the most widely recognized global brands to de-emphasize the text in their logos, or remove it altogether.Nike, Apple, McDonald's, and other brands followed a similar trajectory, gravitating toward entirely textless symbols.
This shift is ostensibly in accordance with a more streamlined approach to design, as well as certain features of the modern economy:Symbols work better than long names on computer screens and apps, and they allow for greater flexibility if a company wants to involve itself in multiple industries at once.For instance, names like Starbucks Coffee and MasterCard are tied to specific products in ways that symbols are not, which can be a disadvantage at a time when it's perfectly plausible for a company that makes phones to make cars too.Additionally, visual cues can travel across borders more easily, because they eliminate the need for translation.
But perhaps the most powerful impetus for these slimmed-down logos is that it's increasingly more difficult to reach buyers when so many of them are skeptical of big corporations.A recent survey by the public-relations firm Cohn&Wolfe found that four-fifths of global consumers now consider brands neither open nor honest.“Consumers are weary of advertising in a way they weren't several decades ago, ”says Adam Alter, an associate professor of marketing at New York University.“It is harder to appeal to them than it used to be, and they tend to see through overt marketing pitches.”That has in turn led to a new arsenal of branding tactics.
Among that arsenal is what's called“debranding”or“decorporatizing”.Some marketers believe that debranding can make global brands appear“less corporate”and“more personal”to consumers.Nameless logos can evoke more personal and immediate reactions—which is important in a media environment with plenty of possible distractions and diversions.Researchers have demonstrated that the use of visual imagery in advertising increases consumers' attention and challenges them to interpret and understand the ad's message in a more active manner than words do.In short, it is easier to make associations based on two bright, primary-colored balls than it is with the word MasterCard.
1.MasterCard has changed its logo by ________.
[A]eliminating words completely
[B]making its name less emphatic
[C]making the two balls overlapped
[D]imitating Nike and other brands
2.Eliminating the name in a logo ________.
[A]is plausible with companies like Starbucks and MasterCard
[B]has the disadvantage of limiting the business of the firm
[C]is an advantage to a firm with businesses across trades
[D]makes the firm appear more attractive on computer screens
3.From the last sentence in the third paragraph we learn ________.
[A]companies are tired of traditional marketing strategies
[B]traditional brand names should emphasize innovation
[C]marketing tactics should be renewed to retain customers
[D]streamlining logos is a kind of new marketing strategy
4.All the following are purposes of debranding except ________.
[A]to simplify the marketing tactics
[B]to appeal to consumers personally
[C]to make consumers less distracted
[D]to involve consumers more actively
5.The best title of the text is ________.
[A]The Need for New Marketing Tactics
[B]The Age of the Wordless Logo
[C]The Logo and a Company's Success
[D]The Future of Global Brand Names
考研必备词汇
1.unveil/ʌn ˈveil/vt．除去面纱，揭示
2.logo/ ˈləuɡəu/n．标识
3.as far as...go 就……而言
4.subtle/ ˈsʌtl/a．精细的，微妙的
5.overlap/ ˈəuvə ˈlæp/vt．交叠，覆盖
6.intact/in ˈtækt/a．未经触动的
7.beneath/bi ˈniːθ/prep．在……下
8.do away with 去掉
9.symbol/ ˈsimbəl/n．符号，象征
10.gravitate/ ˈɡ ræviteit/vi．被重力吸引，倾向
11.ostensibly/ɔ ˈstensəbli/ad．表面地，明显地
12.accordance/ə ˈkɔːdəns/n．一致
13.streamline/ ˈstriːmlain/vt．使简化，提供效率
14.feature/ ˈfiːtʃə/n．特大，功能
15.flexibility/ˈfleksə ˈbiliti/n．有韧性，灵活性
16.multiple/ ˈmʌltipl/a．多重的，多的
17.specific/spə ˈsifik/a．具体的，特定的
18.plausible/ ˈplɔːzəbl/a．看似真实的，似乎有道理的
19.visual/ ˈvizjuəl/a．视觉的
20.cue/kjuː/n．提示，线索
21.border/ ˈbɔːdə/n．边界，界线
22.eliminate/i ˈlimineit/vt．消除
23.impetus/ ˈimpitəs/n．动力
24.skeptical/ ˈskeptikəl/a．怀疑的
25.corporation/ˈkɔːpə ˈreiʃən/n．公司
26.weary/ ˈwiəri/a．感到厌倦的
27.associate/ə ˈsəuʃiit/a．副的
28.appeal/ə ˈpiːl/vi．引起兴趣，恳求
29.overt/ ˈəuvəːt/a．明显的，公开的
30.pitch/pitʃ/n．活动；音高
31.tactic/ ˈtæktik/n．战术，策略
32.evoke/i ˈvəuk/vt．召唤，唤起
33.reaction/ri ˈækʃən/n．反应
34.distraction/dis ˈtrækʃən/n．分心
35.diversion/dai ˈvəːʃən/n．分散，偏离
36.imagery/ ˈimidʒəri/n．形象，意象
37.association/əˈsəusi ˈeiʃən/n．联系，联想；协会
其他词汇
1.rebranding 重塑品牌形象
2.tweak 调整
3.lowercase 小写的
4.trajectory 轨道，轨迹
5.arsenal 军火库；大量
疑难长句注解
This shift is ostensibly...at once.（第二段）
句中this shift指标识向着无文字方向转变，词组in accordance with意为“依照，与……一致”, streamlined approach to design指设计更流畅、简捷，work better意为“更有效”, apps指计算机或手机上的各种小应用，词组allow for意为“容许，留出……空间”, at once此处意为“同时”。
译文
万事达卡今年夏季初展示了新的标识，就重塑品牌来说，其调整非常微妙：公司保留了其重叠红黄球体，把以前处于前部和中间的公司名字移到球体下方，并改成了小写。万事达说，它将在未来使用标识时越来越多地完全去除公司名字。重点将放在符号上而不是字迹上。万事达采取的行动反映了一个更广泛的变化：一些全球广为人知的品牌开始淡化其标识中的文字，甚至全部移除了文字。耐克、苹果、麦当劳和其他品牌循着同样的轨迹，着重强调完全不带字的符号。
这种转变显然与更流畅的设计以及现代经济的某些特点是一致的：符号在电脑屏幕和应用上比长长的名字更有效，如果公司同时涉足多个行业，这些符号能允许更大的灵活性。比如，像星巴克咖啡、万事达卡这样的名字与特定产品紧密相连，但是一个公司完全可能同时生产电话和汽车，这样，这种联系就成为一种劣势，而符号就不会这样。再者，视觉符号能更容易地穿越国界，因为它们消除了翻译的必要性。
但是，简化标识最大的驱动力也许是：随着许多消费者开始对大公司采取怀疑态度，想吸引他们越来越难。公关公司Cohn&Wolfe最近做的一项调查发现，全球消费者有4/5现在认为大品牌公司既不开化也不诚实。纽约大学营销学副教授Adam Alter说，“消费者厌倦了广告，这跟几十年前不一样了。想吸引他们比以前更难，他们已经看穿了不加掩饰的营销策略。”这反过来促使大量新的品牌营销策略诞生。
在这些新策略中包括被称作“去品牌化”或“去公司化”的策略。一些营销者相信，去品牌化可以使全球著名品牌在消费者看来“更少一些公司气息”而“更个性化”。没有公司名字的标识可以引起更个性化、更直接的反应——这很重要，因为在现在的媒体环境下，有大量可能令人分心事情存在。研究者指出，在广告中使用视觉形象能增加消费者的注意力，并挑战他们，使他们比看到文字时更积极地解读和理解广告传达的讯息。总而言之，看到万事达卡上两个亮丽的主色调球体，比看到MasterCard这个词，更容易激发各种联想。
TEXT 99
After 10 years of comprehensive renovations, the Rijksmuseum—the Dutch national museum of art and history, triumphantly reopens its doors in the Dutch capital this Saturday to reveal a profoundly transformed institution, whose elegant public spaces and intelligent presentation of collections are likely to serve as models for other museums around the world in years to come.
The Rijksmuseum's original 1885 Renaissance Revival building, designed by Dutch architect Petrus Josephus Hubertus Cuypers, has been painstakingly restored to its former splendor and outfitted with all the modern infrastructure a 21st-century arts institution requires—climate con trol, fire suppression, handicapped access, security systems, shops, restaurants, auditoriums—under the guiding hand of the Spanish architectural firm of Cruzy Ortiz, which has boldly reconfigured the museum's underground levels to create a vast new interior plaza that dramatically improves the flow of visitors throughout the building.
The renovations are five years behind schedule, but as Thorsten Gritschke explains, the museum will now employ all the latest in technology to display its 8,000 paintings.The final product—which includes an all-new Asian pavilion, galleries devoted for the first time in the museum's history to 20th-century art, magnificently redecorated formal gardens, and nearly double the previous amount of total exhibition space—represents a glorious achievement for the project's creative team, for the Netherlands and for world culture, demonstrating that it is possible to embrace innovation while conscientiously conserving the finest traditions of the past.
In this new scheme, Rembrandt's greatest masterpiece, The Night Watch, is the only obj ect that remains in its original location—at the end of the second floor Gallery of Honor, where it looks splendid under natural light.Aside from that, everything about this installation is new. Prior to the renovations, exhibits were organized according to department, with paintings, sculptures and applied arts completely separated.But now, as is increasingly common in museums, a more chronological approach prevails, so that varied objects from a given era can be shown in tandem to give a sense of the period—fine art, for instance, may be seen alongside furniture, craft items or even machinery—beginning with the Middle Ages on the lower floors and culminating with the 20th century under the eaves of the tower galleries.
The Rijksmuseum has prepared carefully to make the grand reopening a truly special event, even revising its website and publishing a wonderful new collection guide available in most major languages.So before tulip season is over, by all means pay a visit to Holland and see this charming Dutch temple of art.
1.What is true about the renovated museum？
[A]It becomes a masterpiece of Rembrandt and Vermeer.
[B]Its exhibits are arranged more intelligently.
[C]It has enormously expanded its collections.
[D]It has restored its 1885 classical look.
2.Which of the renovations is more impressive？
[A]Modernizing the air-conditioning system.
[B]Updating the security system.
[C]Renovating the underground levels.
[D]Building a new plaza to hold visitors.
3.The renovated museum is the best example that ________.
[A]combines innovation and tradition
[B]exhibits a rich collection of modern art
[C]integrates Oriental and Western traditions
[D]uses high technology to display its collections
4.It is implied that The Night Watch remains where it is because ________.
[A]there is no natural light in other galleries
[B]that is the most important exhibition hall
[C]the order of time has just put it in that place
[D]the location remains intact during the renovation
5.What is true about the museum before renovation？
[A]It had galleries for exhibiting 20-century art.
[B]It displayed most exhibits under natural light.
[C]Its tourist guide was printed only in one language.
[D]It displayed its collections according to their category.
考研必备词汇
1.comprehensive/ˈkɔmpri ˈhensiv/a．全面的，综合的
2.renovation/ˈrenəu ˈveʃiən/n．更新；修缮
3.triumphantly/trai ˈʌmfəntli/ad．耀武扬威地，成功地
4.profoundly/prə ˈfaundli/ad．深刻地，意义深远地
5.institution/ˈinst ˈi tjuːʃən/n．机构；制度
6.elegant/ ˈeliɡənt/a．文雅的，雅致的
7.collection/kə ˈlekʃən/n．收集；收藏（品）
8.renaissance/rə ˈneisəns/n．复兴，复活；文艺复兴
9.revival/r ˈi vaivəl/n．复苏，复兴，恢复
10.architect/ ˈɑːkitekt/n．建筑师
11.painstakingly/ ˈpeinzteikiŋli/ad．费劲地，煞费苦心地
12.splendor/ ˈsplendə/n．辉煌，壮丽
13.infrastructure/ˈinfrə ˈstrʌktʃə/n．基础设施
14.suppression/sə ˈpreʃən/n．镇压，抑制，禁止
15.handicapped/ ˈhændikæpt/a．残疾的
16.reconfigure/ˈriːkən ˈfiɡə/vt．重新装配；改装
17.interior/in ˈtiəriə/a．内部的n．内部
18.plaza/ ˈplɑːzə/n．广场，公共区域
19.throughout/θruː ˈaut/prep．遍及，贯穿
20.behind schedule 延后，未如期完成
21.pavilion/pə ˈviljən/n．亭子，楼阁
22.gallery/ ˈɡ æləri/n．美术馆，画廊
23.magnificently/mæg ˈnifisntli/ad．壮丽地，壮观地
24.redecorate/ ˈrːi ˈdekəreit/vt．重新装饰
25.embrace/im ˈbreis/vt．拥抱；包括；接受
26.innovation/ˈinəu ˈveiʃən/n．创新，革新
27.conscientiously/ˈkɔnʃi ˈenʃəsli/ad．自觉地，认真地
28.conserve/kən ˈsəːv/vt．保存；节约
29.scheme/skiːm/n．安排，计划；方案
30.masterpiece/ ˈmɑːstəpiːs/n．杰作，代表作
31.splendid/ ˈsplendid/a．壮丽的，辉煌的
32.aside from 除……外
33.installation/ˈinstə ˈleʃiən/n．安装，装备
34.prior to 在……前
35.sculpture/ ˈskʌlptʃə/n．雕刻（品）；雕塑
36.chronological/ˈkrɔnə ˈlɔdʒikəl/a．按时间排序的
37.prevail/pr ˈi veil/vi．占主流，盛行；获胜
38.culminate/ ˈkʌlmineit/vi．达到顶点；结束
其他词汇
1.outfit 配备，装备
2.auditorium 礼堂
3.tandem 成排，排列
4.eave 屋檐
5.tulip 郁金香
疑难长句注解
1.After 10 years of comprehensive...years to come.（第一段）
本句很长，但结构并不复杂，包括一个whose引导的定语从句，修饰institution。句中，public spaces指博物馆中的公共场所，不一定指空地，也包括衣帽间、纪念品商店、咖啡馆等场所；intelligent presentation指布展合理，collections指“展品，收藏品”, in years to come指“在未来多年里”。
2.The Rijksmuseum's orginal...the building.（第二段）
本句很长，句子的主干结构是The...building...has been...restored...and outfitted...under the guiding hand...，即“在……的指导下……这个建筑被复原……并装备上……”。定语从句which...building修饰Cruzy Ortiz。句中，guiding hand指这个公司直接参与指导改装设计，从underground levels来看，地下层不止一层；plaza本来指建筑物前的广场，这里指博物馆地下层的公共场所，也可以指购物场所。
3.The final product...of the past.（第三段）
这个句子很长，句子的主干结构是The final product...represents a glorious achievement..., demonstrating that...，即“完工后的博物馆……代表……光辉成就，展示了……。”句中，the final product字面的意思是“最终的结果/产品”，这里指修葺完工后的博物馆；（be）devoted...to意为“被用于”; the project's creative team指上一段提到的那个承担项目设计的西班牙公司。
译文
经过10年综合翻新之后，Rijksmuseum博物馆——荷兰国家艺术与历史博物馆在荷兰首都本周六高调重新开馆，这次，它展示了一副全新博物馆的姿态，其优雅的公共空间，展品的精心陈设，在未来多年内都可能成为世界上其他博物馆效法的对象。
荷兰国家博物馆占用的是1885年“再现文艺复兴”建筑，它是荷兰建筑师Petrus Josephus Hubertus Cuypers设计的，它已经被煞费苦心地翻修，恢复了以前的辉煌，装备了一个21世纪艺术馆需要的所有现代化基础设施，包括气温控制、灭火设备、残疾人通道、安全系统、商店、餐厅和礼堂，这一切都是在西班牙建筑公司Cruzy Ortiz的指导下完成的，该公司大胆地改装了博物馆的地下层面，创造了一个空旷的内部公共场所，这大大地改进了进出博物馆的客流状态。
翻修工作拖延了五年，但是正如Thorsten Gritschke所说，博物馆现在将使用最先进的技术来展出其八千幅油画。完工后的博物馆包括一个全新的亚洲亭台，博物馆历史上第一次专门用来展出20世纪艺术的画廊，大规模重建的正规花园，整个展出空间比以前多出一倍，这一切都代表了该项目具有创造力的团队创造的辉煌成就，无论对荷兰来说还是对世界文化来说。这说明，一方面有意识地保护历史上最精美的传统，另一方面去拥抱创新，二者是可以兼得的。
在新的展出计划中，伦勃朗最伟大的杰作《夜巡》是唯一保留在原位的物品——二楼荣誉展室尽头，在自然光影中，它看起来光彩夺目。除此之外，其他的安置都是全新的。在翻修之前，展品按类别排列，油画、雕塑和实用艺术都是分开的。但是现在，像博物馆越来越常见的陈列方式一样，历史排序法占了主流，某个历史时期的各种展品可以被依次摆放，为了让你更好地了解那个时期，例如，美术作品可能与家具、手工艺品或机械设备摆放在一起，下面几层楼从中世纪展品开始，顶层展室内是20世纪展品。
国家博物馆精心准备了重新开馆仪式，想使它成为一个真正不同寻常的大事件，它真正修改了网站，出版了一份精妙的新藏品指南，被翻译成最常用的语言。所以，在郁金香季节结束之前，务必请来一趟荷兰，看一看这个令人陶醉的艺术圣殿。
TEXT 100
Despite all our slogans to the contrary, diversity such as ours isn't always easy to negotiate. Humor is just one of the ways Americans navigate, narrate, expose and otherwise unburden ourselves of the absurdities and pitfalls of living in such a complicated place.
How millions of us manage to overcome the social distrust that diversity can foster? In more homogenous parishes, towns, states and countries, residents don't have to do this extra thinking. The way things are is so self-evident that they don't require a second thought.Diversity, how ever, requires second thoughts.
Because of our long history of immigration, this extra thinking has been commonplace in American life.The late historian Timothy L.Smith famously called migration to the U. S.a“theologizing experience”that forced newcomers into the existential dilemma of having to“determine how to act in these new circumstances by reference not simply to a dominant‘host'culture but to a dozen competing subcultures, all of which were in the process of adjustment.”
This burden—of having to find your place in a landscape both shifting and unfamiliar—has played a powerful role in forging both the American character and our institutions.I'm no linguist, but I suspect it explains the very direct manner of speech that Americans are known for around the world.Diversity and continuous migration—both foreign and domestic—make it difficult to forge a long-lived unspoken cultural consensus.In its absence, people must articulate their positions in as straightforward a way as possible to avoid misinterpretation.
This year a group of researchers from MIT, Columbia University and Northwestern University published a paper.The authors concluded that homogenous groups“were actually further than diverse groups from an objective index of accuracy”and that people in diverse groups“are more likely to step outside their own perspective and less likely to instinctively impute their own knowledge onto others”than people in homogenous groups.
So it should follow that operating in a diverse environment makes you smarter.Not that that makes it any easier.Diversity doesn't require us simply to learn how to celebrate our differences. It requires us to tax our brains by questioning our worldviews, our beliefs and our institutions. American ingenuity isn't simply born of the fusion of peoples into a melting pot.Whether we realize it or not, it's the good-humored hard work of living with people different from us that has always been the source of America's genius.
1.From the first sentence of the passage we learn ________.
[A]Americans find it hard to cope with ethnic differences
[B]there are many absurdities and pitfalls in American life
[C]popular slogans have exaggerated American diversity
[D]Americans often use humor in business negotiation
2.According to Smith, the“extra thinking”is necessary because ________.
[A]it is self-evident in homogenous communities
[B]early American experience was largely religious
[C]it is not easy to fit into a new and shifting culture
[D]subcultures are in conflict with the“host”culture
3.To avoid misunderstanding, Americans ________.
[A]quickly foster a cultural consensus
[B]learn to speak their mind directly
[C]leave many things unsaid in their talk
[D]try to keep cultural diversity alive
4.It is implied that people living in homogenous groups tend to ________.
[A]overemphasize consensus
[B]avoid misunderstanding
[C]think in objective ways
[D]impose their thought on others
5.Diversity can nurture all of the following except ________.
[A]distrust
[B]innovativeness
[C]objectivity
[D]subjectivity
考研必备词汇
1.slogan/ ˈsləuɡən/n．口号
2.to the contrary 相反的，相对的
3.diversity/dai ˈvəːsiti/n．多样性
4.negotiate/ni ˈɡəuʃieit/vt．商定，磋商；处理，克服
5.navigate/ ˈnæviɡeit/vi．航行，驾驶
6.narrate/næ ˈreit/vt．讲述，叙述
7.absurdity/əb ˈsəːditi/n．荒唐；荒谬
8.pitfall/ ˈpitfɔːl/n．陷阱，失误
9.complicated/ ˈkɔmplikeitid/a．复杂的
10.foster/ ˈfɔstə/vt．养育，培育；促进
11.homogenous/hə ˈmɔdʒinəs/a．同质的
12.parish/ ˈpæriʃ/n．教区
13.resident/ ˈrezidənt/n．居民
14.immigration/ˈimi ˈɡreiʃən/n．移民
15.commonplace/ ˈkɔmənpleis/a．常见的，普通的
16.migration/mai ˈɡreiʃən/n．迁移，迁徙
17.dilemma/di ˈlemə/n．窘境，二难困境
18.by reference to 以……为参照，与……有关
19.dominant/ ˈdɔminənt/a．主导的，支配的
20.subculture/ ˈsʌbˈkʌltʃə/n．亚文化
21.adjustment/ə ˈdʒʌstmənt/n．调整，调节
22.landscape/ ˈlændskeip/n．风景，环境
23.forge/fɔːdʒ/vt．铸造，形成；编造，伪造
24.linguist/ ˈliŋɡwist/n．语言学家，懂多种语言的人
25.domestic/də ˈmestik/a．家庭的，国内的
26.consensus/kən ˈsensəs/n．共识
27.articulate/ɑː ˈtikj ulit/vt．清楚地表达
28.misinterpretation/ ˈmisintəpri ˈteiʃən/n．曲解，误解释
29.objective/əb ˈdʒektiv/a．客观的 n．目标
30.index/ ˈindeks/n．索引；指数
31.perspective/pə ˈspektiv/n．视角，观点
32.instinctively/in ˈstiŋktivli/ad．本能地
33.it follows that 顺理成章的是
34.celebrate/ ˈselibreit/vt．庆祝，赞颂
35.tax/tæks/vt．使受压力；责备；征税
36.ingenuity/ˈindʒi ˈnjuːiti/n．独创力
37.fusion/ ˈfjuːʒən/n．溶解；合并
38.melting pot 大熔炉
39.good-humored/ɡud ˈhjuːməd/a．脾气好的，善解人意的
其他词汇
1.unburden 解除负担
2.theologize 使神学化
3.impute 把……归于
疑难长句注解
1.Humor is just one of the ways...complicated place.（第一段）
本句中，the absurdities and pitfalls作navigate, narrate, expose和unburden这四个动词的宾语，unburden oneself of意为“使自己摆脱”。这句话的基本意思是：生活在美国这样一个有着复杂民族问题的社会中，我们可能会遇到很多荒唐事，跌进陷阱，这时，我们用幽默帮助我们处理或摆脱这种困境。这里navigate可以指渡过难关，narrate和expose都指（用幽默方式）讲述或谈论困境。也就是说，这里所谓的absurdities和pitfalls，主要是指下一句提到的social distrust，即各民族间的不信任，而navigate, narrate, expose, unburden都是overcome这种困境的方式。实际上，第二段第一句的设问提出了本文的主题，本文主要讨论美国人怎样overcome the social distrust。
2.The late historian...of adjustment.（第三段）
形容词late指“已故的”, that...adjustment这个定语从句修饰theologizing experience，其中提到的二难境地（dilemma）指：移民一方面要处理与“主”文化的关系，另一方面要处理跟其他亚文化的关系——这些亚文化也处于自我调整中，not simply...but（also）把这两个困境连接在一起。介词短语by reference to意为“参照，对照”。
3.The authors concluded that...groups.（第五段）
本句的主干结构是The authors concluded that homogenous groups“were...accuracy”and that people...“are more likely...and less likely...”than people...，也就是说，本句表达了研究者的两个结论，一是同质社会不如多民族社会看问题更客观，二是多民族社会比同质社会更可能走出自己的视角，而不是把自己的观点和知识强加于人。从语言上来看，far from an objective index of accuracy指远远不准确客观，impute their own knowledge onto others指把自己的知识强加给别人。所谓“同质社会”或“同质群体”指由单一民族组成的社会。
4.Whether we realize...America's genius.（第六段）
本句是一个强调句，被强调的部分是the good-humored hard work of living with people different from us，其中good-humored意为“脾气好的，愉快的”, hard work并非指工作，而是指困难的经历或事情。即与不同的民族共同生活在同一个社会是一件困难的事情，但同时也是一件愉快的事情。
译文
虽然我们提出的口号总是相反，但是像我们这样的文化多样性并不总是容易对付的。生活在如此复杂的地方，美国人可能会遇到荒诞事儿，陷入麻烦，幽默只是他们在其中航行、叙述、揭示或摆脱这些困境的方式之一。
我们中的千百万人是如何设法克服多样性可能造成的社会不信任呢？在更同质化的教区、城镇、州和国家，居民们不必做这种多余的思考。事情是明摆着的，以至于他们不需要三思而后行。然而，多样性需要。
因为我们有很长的移民历史，这种多余的思考在美国人的生活中已经成为司空见惯的事情。已故历史学家Timothy L.Smith有一个著名的说法，他把向美国移民的过程称作“神学化的经历”，这迫使新来者进入现存的窘境，他不得不“决定在新的环境下自己应该怎样做，他不仅要处理与‘主’文化的关系，还要处理与十几个相互竞争的亚文化的关系，而这些亚文化也处于自我调节的过程中”。
这个负担，这个不得不在变化和陌生的情境下找到自己位置的负担，在塑造美国的国民性格和各种制度方面起到了强有力的作用。我不是语言学家，但是我怀疑这一负担也解释了美国人在说话上的直率——这是全世界共知的。多样性和持续的迁移——从外国的迁移和国内的迁移——使形成一个长期默认的文化共识变得困难起来。在缺乏共识的情况下，人们必须尽量直率地表达自己的立场，以避免误解。
今年，麻省理工学院、哥伦比亚大学和西北大学的一组研究者发表了一篇论文。作者们得出结论说，同质群体“实际上比多元化群体更加远离准确性所要求的客观指数”；而且，同生活于同质化群体的人相比，生活在多元化群体中的人“更可能走出自己的视角，更不可能不分青红皂白地把自己的知识强加于其他人”。
因此，一个顺理成章的结论是：在一个多元化的环境中运作可以使你变得更聪明。这当然不是说运作起来更容易。多样化的存在不仅要求学会珍惜我们的差别，它还要求我们通过质疑自己的世界观、信仰和制度来挑战自己的大脑。美国人的创造力不仅产生于把各民族融合成一个大熔炉。无论我们是否意识到了，正是学会心平气和地与不同的人生活在一起这件困难的事情，才一直是美国人创造天赋的根源。
TEXT 101
The Associated Press announced that it would ban the term illegal immigrant from its stylebook.They are among many organizations and immigration advocates lately who argue that the term is uncivil.
Whether there is a point in that or not, the main problem here is a matter of how language works.The idea is that banning illegal immigrant will change how people think, that using the term undocumented immigrant will improve the public opinion of the people in question.But it won't.
The problem is that language dances much more lightly on thought than we often suppose，and in a battle between thought and language, thought has a way of winning out.Words' meanings, even when crafted to bend away from opinion, drift back to where we didn't want them to be.This has happened to previous attempts to expunge a term of its negative meaning.
Consider affirmative action.Affirming what? What kind of action? The term was a magnificently artful and gracious construction of the 1960s, giving a constructive, positive air to an always controversial policy.Note, however, that political opponents soon came to associate the term with the same negative feelings they had about the policy it referred to, such that today it is uttered with scorn by many.Racial preferences was the chosen replacement—but it is now as loaded as affirmative action was.
Words cannot escape reality.A similar thing happened with welfare, a constructive euphemism compared to once common terms of negative connotation such as the dole.Once again, though, discourteous associations long ago settled back down on the term.By now we have to think a bit to process that the original meaning of welfare, in the political context, was wellbeing.Notably, another term for the same policy, home relief, rapidly took on the same kinds of associations.
If an issue commonly attracts dismissive attitudes, those attitudes simply migrate to any new term that is created.This has happened to terms such as women's liberation, and crippled, later handicapped, only to be replaced by disabled．Changing the terms can perhaps get a conversation started.But fast forward about 10 years and undocumented immigrant will have taken on the same dismissive air that illegal immigrant has now.If you change only the language, real life catches up.What really creates change is argumentation.If we really want to improve the lot of this group, we'd do better to attend to the fate of the President's immigration bill about to be presented to Congress.
It's harder to change reality than to play with words.But then, who thought real life wasn't hard.
1.The term undocumented immigrant is supposed to improve ________.
[A]the images of illegal immigrants
[B]the living conditions of immigrants
[C]the newspaper's perception of immigrants
[D]the documentation of illegal immigrants
2.From the first sentence of the third paragraph we learn that ________.
[A]changing the language does not improve how people think
[B]thought and language are found to be intimately related
[C]language can hardly express one's true feelings
[D]language is neutral but thought is always subjective
3.Those who oppose a policy are likely to ________.
[A]develop very negative feelings toward its makers
[B]endow the term that refers to it with bad associations
[C]scorn it by renaming it with a ridiculous expression
[D]make it a controversial policy to be disputed and scorned
4.Which of the following terms is more frequently used today？
[A]The dole.
[B]Home relief.
[C]Well-being.
[D]Welfare.
5.By saying“If you change only the language, real life catches up”, the author implies ________.
[A]real life is more cruel than one supposes it to be
[B]language isn't a truthful reflection of real life
[C]attitude change is more important than that of language
[D]the president should change his language about immigrants
考研必备词汇
1.associate/ə ˈsəuʃieit/vt．联合，结交；联想
2.announce/ə ˈnauns/vt．宣布，广播
3.immigrant/ ˈimiɡrənt/n．移民
4.immigration/ˈimi ˈɡreiʃən/n．移居，移入
5.advocate/ ˈædvəkit/n．提倡者，拥护者
6.uncivil/ ˈʌn ˈsivil/a．不文明的，不礼貌的
7.b a n/b æn/vt．禁止
8.undocumented/ ˈʌn ˈdɔkjuməntid/a．无书面证据或文件证明的
9.win out 胜出，赢
10.craft/krɑːft/vt．巧妙构思，精心制作
11.negative/ ˈneɡətiv/a．负面的，消极的；反对的，否定的
12.affirmative/ə ˈfəːmətiv/a．肯定的；赞许的
13.affirm/ə ˈfəːm/vt．肯定，断言；证实，确认
14.magnificently/mæg ˈnifisntli/ad．壮观地，宏大地
15.gracious/ ˈɡreʃiəs/a．亲切的，得体的
16.controversial/ˈkɔntrə ˈvəːʃəl/a．有争议的，引起争议的
17.opponent/ə ˈpəunənt/n．反对者，对手
18.refer to 指称，提到；参阅
19.utter/ ˈʌtə/vt．说（话）
20.scorn/skɔːn/n．嘲弄，蔑视
21.replacement/ri ˈpleismənt/n．替代（物）
22.euphemism/ ˈjuːfimizəm/n．委婉用语
23.connotation/ˈkɔnəu ˈteiʃən/n．含义
24.discourteous/dis ˈkəːtjəs/a．无礼的
25.notably/ ˈnəutəbli/ad．显著地，特别地
26.relief/ri ˈliːf/n．救济；减轻，解除
27.take on 穿上，带上，呈现
28.dismissive/dis ˈmisiv/a．轻蔑的，拒绝的
29.migrate/ ˈmaiɡreit/vi．迁移，迁徙
30.liberation/ˈlibə ˈreiʃən/n．解放，使自由
31.cripple/ ˈkripl/vt．致残，削弱
32.handicap/ ˈhændikæp/vt．妨碍，障碍
33.argumentation/ˈɑːɡjumen ˈteiʃən/n．论证，辩论
34.lot/lɔt/n．命运，运气
35.attend to 注意，关注
其他词汇
1.bend away from 偏离
2.expunge 涂掉，除去，清除
3.artful 巧妙的，狡猾的
疑难长句注解
1.The problem is that...winning out.（第三段）
本句and连接两个表语从句，即The problem is that language...and（that）in a battle...。在第一个从句中，dance lightly on是一个比喻，是说语言对思维的影响很小；第二个从句中win out意为“获得最终的胜利”。这句话代表作者的主要观点，即仅靠改变语言不能最终改变人们的看法。
2.Words' meanings...want them to be.（第三段）
这个句子中也用了一些比喻，bend away from意为“偏离，脱离，绕弯走”，所谓“绕开见解”，实际上是说“不带有偏见，不带有贬义”; drift back to where we didn't want them to be（漂移到我们不想让它们去的地方）, drift back to是对于bend away from而言，是说你想绕都绕不开，最终还是回来带上贬义的老路上去。
3.Note, however, that...by many.（第四段）
本句中，note意为“请注意，特别需要指出的是”; they had about the policy it referred to是定语从句，修饰negative feelings，即反对affirmative action政策的人，也最终把这个词组和负面情感联系在一起；such that意为“达到如此的程度，以至于”。
译文
美联社宣布，它将从其排印手册中剔除“非法移民”这个词组。最近，有很多组织和移民支持者认为，这种说法是不礼貌的，美联社是其中之一。
不管其中有没有道理，这里的主要问题涉及语言的使用问题。他们的观点是，禁止使用“非法移民”这个词组会改变人们的思维方式，使用“未登记移民”将改善公众对移民的看法。但是，这是不可能的。
问题是，语言对思维的影响比我们通常所认为的要小，在思维与语言的战斗中，思维总是有胜出的办法。即使词汇的意思被刻意用来躲开见解，但它们最终会滑向我们不想让它们去的地方。过去曾有人企图消除一个词的负面意思，但是大都没有成功。
拿“肯定性行动”这个词组来说吧。“肯定”什么呢？什么样的“行动”？这个词组是20世纪60年代极为巧妙、优雅的创造物，它赋予一个已经产生争议的政策以建设性的、积极的色彩。然而，我们记得，政治对手很快就把这个词组与某种负面情感联系在一起，这种负面情感也是他们对这个词组所指称的政策的一个反应，以至于许多人今天提起这个词组时总是带有讽刺口吻。“种族偏好”被当作替代品，但是这个词组现在也像“肯定性行动”一样带上了负面含义。
词语不可能逃避现实。“福利”这个词也有类似的经历，与曾经常用的带有负面意味的“救济”相比，这是一个具有建设性意义的委婉说法。可是，很久以前的不礼貌意思又降临到这个词身上。现在，我们要思考一下才能想到，“福利”在政治语境下的原意是“安康”。值得注意的是，用来指称同一个政策的另一个词组“家庭救济”很快也带上同样的联想意义。
如果一个问题通常引起轻蔑态度，这些态度会直接迁移到被造出的任何新词上。这一过程发生在像“妇女解放”这种的词语上；“残废的”后来被“残疾的”代替，最终又被“伤残的”代替。换词汇也许能使谈话开始，但是，再过10年左右，“未登记的移民”也会带上与现在的“非法移民”同样的轻蔑口吻。如果你只改变语言，真实生活就会迎头赶上。真正创造变化的是论争。如果我们真想改变移民的命运，我们最好是关心总统即将提交给国会的移民提案的命运。
玩弄辞藻没有改变现实那样困难。但是，谁又会曾认为现实生活不艰难呢！