考研英语阅读理解培训

一、考研英语阅读理解基础提高14篇

Text1WhatIsCulture?

1.Theword"culture“hasmanydifferentmeanings.Forexample,wesometimessaythat

peoplewhoknowaboutart,music,andliteraturearecultured.However,theword“cullure”has

differentmeaningfbranthropologists(peoplewhostudyhumankind).Toananthropologistthe

word“cullure"meansallthewaysinwhichagroupofpeopleact,dress,think,andfeel.People

havetolearntheculturalwaysoftheircommunity:theyarenotsomethingthatthepeopleinthe

grouparebomwith.

2.Instinctivebehavior,ontheotherhand,isapatternofbehaviorthatananimalisbornwith.

Spiders'spinningtheirwebsisanexampleofinstinctivebehavior.Themotherspiderspinning

theirwebsisanexampleofinstinctivebehavior.Themotherspiderdoesnotteachherbabieshow

tospinwebs.(Infact,sheisnoteventherewhentheyareborn.)Theyknowhowtodoitwhen

theyareborn.Thisiswhatwemeanbyinstinctivebehavior.

3.Ashuman,welearnsomeofthewaysofourculturebybeingtaughtbyourteachersor

parents.Welearnmoreofthewaysofourculturebygrowingupinit.Weseehowotherpeoplein

ourculturedothings,andwedotheminthesameway.Weevenlearnhowtothinkandfeelinthis

way.

4.Allhumanbeingshavecertainbasicneeds,suchaseating,drinking,keepingwarmanddry,

andsoon.However,thewayinwhichtheytakecareoftheseneedsdependsontheculturein

whichtheygrowup.Allcultureshavewaysofeating,drinking,dressing,findingshelter,marrying,

anddealingwithdeath.Thefoodsthatwethinkaregoodtoeat,thekindsofclotheswewear,and

howmanypeoplewecanmarryatonetimeareallpartsofourculture.

5.Ourowncultureseemsverynaturaltous.Wefeelinourheartsthatthewaythatwedothings

istheonlyrightwaytodothem.Otherpeople'sculturesoftenmakeuslaughorfeeldisgustedor

shocked.Wemaylaughatclothingthatseemsridiculoustous.Manypeoplethinkthateating

octopusorajuicyredpieceofroastbeefisdisgusting.Theideathatamancanhavemorethan

onewifeorthatbrothersandsisterscanmarryeachothermayshockothercultures.

6.Ideasofwhatisbeautifuldifferfromoneculturetoanother.TheFlatheadIndiansofNorth

Americausedtobindtheheadsofbabiesbetweenboardssotheywouldhavelongsloping

foreheads.IntheFlatheadculture,longslopingforeheadswerebeautiful.Otherculturesmight

thinkthattheyarestrange-lookingandunattractive.Manypeoplecutscarsintotheirbodiesor

tattoothemselvessothatothersintheirculturewillthinktheyarebeautiful.Objectsareinsertedin

holesinthenose,lips,andearsinanumberofdifferentcultures.Inmanytwentieth-century

societies,rouge,lipstick,eyeshadow,perfume,andhairsprayareallusedtoincrease

attractiveness.

7.Whenpeopledie,differentculturesdisposeoftheirbodiesindifferentways.Sometimes

bodiesareburned.Sometimesbodiesareburiedintheground.Inmanyculturesinthepast,people

wereburiedintheground.Inmanyculturesinthepast,peoplewereburiedwithfood,weapons,

jewelry,andotherthingsthatmightbeusefulinthenextlife.Forexample,theancientEgyptians

buriedthatmightbeusefulinthenextlife.Forexample,theancientEgyptiansburiedpeoplewith

littlehumanfiguresmadefromclay.Theseclayfiguresweresupposedtoworkforthedeadperson

intheotherworld.AreligiousgroupcalledtheParsesexposedtheirdeadonplatformsfor.birdsto

eat.Somepeoplepracticeasecondburial.Afterthebodieshavebeenintheearthforseveralyears,

thebonesaredugupandreburied,sometimesinasmallcontainer.

8.Thesearejustafewofthemanydifferentcustomsthatarefoundindifferentcultures.Most

ofthetime,thedifferentwaysthatarethecustomsofdifferentculturesareneitherrightnorwrong.

Itissimplythatdifferentpeopledothesamethingsindifferentways.(702words)

自测练习题

Circlethebestansweraccordingtothetext.

1.Whatdoesthetextmainlydiscuss?

A.Thehistoryofhumanculture.

B.Theinstinctivebehaviorofsomeanimals.

C.Ideasofbeautydifferfromoneculturetoanother.

D.Thevariousaspectsofhumanculture.

2.WhatcanwelearnfromParagraph2to4?

A.Instinctivebehaviorreferstospidersspinningtheirwebs.

B.Cultureissomethingthatallhumanbeingsarebornwith.

C.Differentcultureshavedifferentbasicneeds.

D.Differentculturesleadtodifferentwaysofliving.

3.wereregardedasbeautifulintheFlatheadculture.

A.Scarsinbodies

B.Objectsinsertedinholesinthenose

C.Longslopingforeheads

D.Eyeswitheyeshadow

4.AllofthefollowingarementionedasthewaystodisposeofdeadbodiesEXCEPT.

A.burningthebodies

B.buryingthebodiesinthegroundC•exposingthebodiesonplatforms

D.makinglittlehumanfiguresfromclay

5.Accordingtothetext,whichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTTRUE?

A.Differentcultureshavedifferentcustoms.

B.Sometimesitishardtosayonecustomisbetterorworsethananother.

C.Peopleofdifferentcultureswillneverdothesamethingsinthesameway.

D.Peopleofdifferentculturesmaydothesamethingsindifferentways.

Text2PublicRelations

1.WhenthefoundersoftheUnitedStateswrotetheDeclarationofIndependence,theysaidthat

a“decentrespect^^fortheopinionofpeopleeverywhererequiredtheAmericancoloniestotellthe

worldwhytheywerefreeingthemselvesofBritishrule.TheAmericanfoundersbelievedthattheir

causecouldnotwinunlesstheyhadtheconfidenceofotherpeoples.

2.Publicrelations,too,triestowintheconfidenceandgoodwillofpeople.Nocompany,

governmentagency,school,hospital,orotherinstitutioncanflourishifitpaysnoattentiontowhat

thepeoplethinkofit.Publicrelationsistheactivityofgivingabusinessorotherorganization

informationabouthowitsactionsmightaffectpublicopinion-orhowpublicopinionmightaffect

itsactions.Itisalsothejobofthepublicrelationsofficertotellthepublicaboutacompany's

activities,plans,orideas.Thisisnecessarybecausepeoplearelikelytohavemoreconfidenceina

companyiftheyknowsomethingaboutit.

3.Thereisnotjustonebigpublicwhoseopinionacompanyhastoworryaboutifitisto

surviveandgrow.Onlyafeworganizations,suchasanationalgovernment,aresolargethatall

thepublichassomeopinionabouttheiractions.Mostcompaniesandorganizationshavetothink

abouttheopinionsofsmallergroups—theircustomers,forinstance,ortheirworkersortheir

shareholders.Acompanymustalsohavethetrustandgoodwillofitsneighborsintheplaces

whereithasfactoriesandoffices.Thecompanymustbeongoodtermswiththegovernment,

becauseeverybusinesscanbeseriouslyaffectedbygovernmentlawsorregulations.

4.Gainingtheconfidenceofothersrequires,firstofall,thoughtfulnessaboutotherpeople's

beliefs,interests,andfeelings.Publicrelationsbeginsbyplanningone'sactionssoastorespect

therightsandbeliefsofotherpeople.Unlessapublicrelationsprogramtakesthesethingsinto

account,itcandolittletohelpacompany.Notallthemoneyintheworld,northemostskillful

writersorspeakers,canmakeacompanylookasifitcaresaboutotherpeopleifthecompany

reallydoesnotcare.Mostcompanies,therefore,considerhowanyaction,suchasmovingtoa

newlocationorbuyinganotherbusiness,willaffectpublicopinion.Havingmadeadecision,the

companywantseveryonetounderstandthedecisionandreasonsitwasmade.

5.Mostlargecompanieshaveapublicrelationsdepartment,whichtellsthepublicaboutthe

company'splansandactivities.Thedepartmentismadeupofwriters,editors,photographicand

pictureexperts,andresearchers.

6.Therearemanywaystorevealacompany'sactivitiesandcharacter.Averyeffectiveoneis

throughspeechesbyofficialsofthecompanybeforeorganizationssuchasthelocalchamberof

commerceandvariousclubs.Thespeechesareusuallyreportedinthenewspapersandareoften

reprintedfordistributiontogovernmentofofficials,educators,journalists,andotherswhomight

beinterestedinthecompany'sviews.Printedpamphletsandbooklets,includingthecompany

magazineandtheannualreportofthemanagementtotheshareholders,alsohelpinformthepublic

aboutacompany.Motion-picturefilmsareoftenusedtoshowpeoplesomethingaboutacompany.

Acompanymayalso,asapublicservice,undertakeprojectsnotdirectlyconnectedwithits

business,tohelpmakesocietybetter.

7.Besidesusingtheirownpublicrelationsdepartment,theyhirespecialpublicrelationsfirms,

whichworkfbrseveralclientsatonce.Speciallytrainedoutsidersoftenseetrendsorproblems

thatpeopleinsideacompanymightmissbecausetheyaretooclosetothesituation.

8.Anyonewhoplanstodopublicrelationsworkshouldgetasbroadaneducationaspossible.

Inadditiontoacollegeeducation,workinsomeareaofthecommunicationfield-onanewspaper

orwithabroadcastingstation——isusefulforthefuturepublicrelationsofficer.(645words)

Circlethebestansweraccordingtothetext.

1.Whichofthefollowingexpressesthemainideaofthetext?

A.Publicrelationsplaysaveryimportantroleinthepoliticalfield.

B.Publicrelationsmayhelpacompanybecomemorefamous.

C.Publicrelationsistheartofwinningtheconfidenceandgoodwillofpeoplesoastogettheir

support.

D.Publicrelationsissoimportantthatitshouldbetaughtinschool.

2.Themainconcernofpublicrelationsis.

A.gettingthepublictounderstandandapproveofacompanyanditsactions

B.givingmoreattentiontoaproductthantoacompany

C.gainingpublicconfidenceandgoodwillsothatpeoplewillbuyacompany'sproductsor

services

D.gettingalongwellwiththegovernment

3.AcompanywilldoallofthefollowingtowinconfidenceofthepublicEXCEPT.

A.payingattentiontothepublicopinions

B.informingthepublicaboutitsactivities

C.havingtrustandgoodwillofthepublicaround

D.cuttingdownthepriceofitsproducts

4.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTTRUEaccordingtothetext?

A.Nocompanycandevelopsuccessfullyunlessittakesintoaccounttherightsandbeliefsofthe

public.

B.PublicrelationshasdevelopedonthebasisoftheDeclarationofIndependence.

C.Itisnecessaryforanysuccessfulcompaniestogetalongwiththegovernment.

D.Attentionshouldalsobegiventotheopinionsofsomesmallergroups.

5.WhichofthefollowingisNOTMENTIONEDasawaytohelppeopleknowmoreaboutthe

company?

A.Speechesbytheofficialsofthecompany.

B.Printedmaterialswithinformationaboutthecompany.

C.Involvementinpublicservice.

D.Speciallytrainedpeoplewithacollegeeducation.

Text3FoodandCulture

1.Weallhaveideasaboutwhatkindsoffoodsaregoodtoeat.Wealsohaveideasaboutwhat

kindsoffoodsarebadtoeat.Asaresult,peoplefromonecultureoftenthinkthefoodsthatpeople

fromanothercultureeataredisgustingornauseating.WhenthefamousboxerMuhammad

AlivisitedAfrica,forexample,onememberofhisgroupbecamequitesickwhenhesaw

someonepickupabutterflyandeatit.Manypeoplewouldfinditdisgustingtoeatrats,butthere

areforty-twodifferentcultureswhosepeopleregardratsasappropriatefood.

2.SomepeopleinAfricathinkAfricantermitesmakeadeliciousmeal.Manyotherpeople

wouldprobablybesickiftheyhadtoeattermites,butonehundredgramsoftermitescontainmore

thantwiceasmanycaloriesandalmosttwiceasmuchproteinasonehundredgramsofcooked

hamburger.

3.However,foodlikesanddislikesdonotalwaysseemrelatedtonutrition.Forexample,

broccoliisfirstonalistofthemostnutritiouscommonvegetables,butitistwenty-firstonalistof

vegetablesthatAmericanslikemosttoeat.Tomatoesaresixteenthonthelistofthemost

nutritiousvegetables,buttheyarefirstonthelistofvegetablesthatAmericanslikemosttoeat.

4.Butdislikeisnottheonlyreasonwhysomecultureswillnoteatacertainfood.Insome

cultures,certainfoodsaretaboo.TabooisawordfromthelanguagesoftheFijiIslandsthatis

usedtodescribesomethingthatisforbidden.Somefoodsaretabooincertainreligions,butthere

arealsootherfoodtaboosthatarenotconnectedtoareligion.Wedonotusuallythinkaboutwhy

certainthingsaretabooinourculture.Wemaynotevenknowwhytheyaretaboo.

Anthropologiststrytodiscoverthehiddenreasonsfortaboos.Forexample,thesacredcowsof

Indiaarewellknown.CowscangowherevertheywanttointhestreetsofIndia,andtheycaneat

anythingtheywantfromthesuppliesofthefoodsellersonthestreet.Asaresult,thecowsarea

problem.However,nooneinIndiawillkillthemoreatthem.Itistabootodoso.Thiscustom

seemsstrangetofarmersneedthemtohelpplowtheirfields.Second,cowmanureisusedasa

fertilizeronthefields.InIndia,manyfarmerscannotaffordtospendmoneyonfertilizer.Third,

thecowmanurecanbedriedandburnedtomakecookingfires.Therefore,farmersthatkilltheir

cowsformeatsoonfindthattheycannotploworfertilizetheirfieldsormakeacookingfire.

5.AnotherexampleisthatAmericansdonoteatdogs,althoughpeoplefromsomeother

culturesregardthemasgoodfood.IntheUnitedStates,dogsareveryimportanttopeopleaspets.

Theyareusuallyregardedasparttothefamily,almostlikeachildinsomecases.Inaddition,dogs

havevalueasprotectionagainstcriminals.Thieveswillnotusuallyenterahousewherethereisa

dogbecausethedogwillbarkandpossiblyattackastrangerwhoistryingtogetintoahouse.

Apparently,thedog'splaceinsocietyasacompanionandasaprotectionagainstcriminalsmakes

thedogtabooasfood.

6.Thetabooagainsteatingporkoccursinmorethanoneculture.Thereissomeevidence

thatsomeancientEgyptiansdidnoteatpork.TheancientIsraelitesalsoregardedporkastaboo.

Oneexplanationforthepig-eatingtabooisthatporkthatthisisagoodexplanationforthepork

taboo.

7.Anthropologistsbelievethatmostfoodlikesanddislikesarearesultofthewaysoflife

ofdifferentpeople.Somepeopleliveinareaswheretherearebothlargeanimalsandmanyinsects.

Itisdifficultforthesepeopletokilllargeanimals,anditrequiresalotofenergy.Itiseasierfor

themtouseinsectsforfoodbecauseitisnotdifficulttocatchinsectsanditdoesnotrequirealot

ofenergy.Nomadicpeoplewhomovearoundwillnotwanttokeeppigsforfood.Peoplewillnot

eatpetssuchasdogs.Americanseatalotofbeefbecausethereisplentyoflandforraisingcattle

andtheirmeatcanbeshippedcheaplyforlongdistancesbyrailroads.(736words)

自测练习题

DecidewhetherthestatementsareTrueorFalseaccordingtothetext.

1.Peopleofdifferentculturesmayhavedifferentideasaboutwhatkindsoffoodareappropriate

toeat.()

2.SometimespeopledonTliketoeatacertainkindoffoodbecausetheydon'thaveanyidea

aboutthenutritionofthefood.()

3.Taboofoodsaresomethingharmfultoourhealthsothatwearenotallowedtoeatthem.

()

4.Anthropologistsknowthereasonswhysomeofthefoodsareconsideredastaboos.()

5.Differentwaysoflifemayleadtodifferentfoodlikesanddislikes.()

Text4AreComputersAlive?

1.Thetopicofthoughtisoneareaofpsychology,andmanyobservershaveconsideredthis

aspectinconnectionwithrobotsandcomputers:SomeoftheoldworriesaboutAI(artificial

intelligence)werecloselylinkedtothequestionofwhethercomputerscouldthink.Thefirst

massiveelectroniccomputers,capableofrapid(ifoftenunreliable)computationandlittleorno

creativeactivity,weresooncalled"'electronicbrains^^.Areactiontothisterminologyquickly

followed:Toputthemintheirplace,computerswerecalled“high-speedidiots"，aneffortto

protecthumanvanity.Insuchaclimatethepossibilityofcomputersactuallybeingalivewas

rarelyconsidered:Itwasbadenoughthatcomputersmightbecapableofthought.Butnot

everyonerealizedtheimplicationsofthehigh-speedidiottag.Ithasnotbeenpointedoutoften

enoughthateventhehumanidiotisoneofthemostintelligentlifeformsonearth.Iftheearly

computerswereeventhatintelligent,itwasalreadyaremarkablestateofaffairs.

2.Oneconsequenceofspeculationaboutthepossibilityofcomputerthoughwasthatwewere

forcedtoexaminewithnewcaretheideaofthoughtingeneral.Itsoonbecameclearthatwewere

notsurewhatwemeantbysuchtermsasthoughtandthinking.Wetendtoassumethathuman

beingsthink,somemorethanothers,thoughweoftencallpeoplethoughtlessorunthinking.

Dreamscauseaproblem,partlybecausetheyusuallyhappenoutsideourcontrol.Theyare

obliviouslysometypeofmentalexperiences,butaretheyatypeofthinking?Andthequestionof

nonhumanlifeformsaddsfurtherproblems.Manyofuswould)maintain:thatsomeofthehigher

animals—dogs,cats,apes,andsoon—arecapable,ofatleastbasicthought,butwhataboutfish

andinsects?Itiscertainlytruethatthehighermammalsshowcomplexbrain:activitywhentested

withtheappropriateequipment.Ifthinkingisdemonstratedbyevidentelectricalactivityinthe

brain,thenmanyanimalspeciesarecapableofthought.Oncewehaveformulatedclearideason

whatthoughtisinbiologicalcreatures,itwillbeeasiertodiscussthequestionof,thoughtin

artifacts.Andwhatistrueofthoughtisalsotrueofthemany-othermentalprocesses.Oneofthe

immensebenefitsofAIresearchisthatwearebeingforcedtoexamine,withnewrigor,the

workingofthehumanmind.

3.Itisalreadyclearthatmachineshavesuperiormentalabilitiestomanylifeforms.Notreecan

playchessaswellaseventhesimplestdigitalcomputer;norcanfrogsweldcarbodiesaswellas

robots.Thethree-fingeredmechanicalmanipulatorisclevererinsomewaysthanthethree-toed

sloth.Itseemsthat,viewedintermsofintellect,thecomputershouldbesetwellaboveplantsand

mostanimals.Onlythehigheranimalscan,itseems,competewithregardtointellect—andeven

thenwithdiminishingsuccess.(475words)

自测练习题

DecidewhetherthestatementsareTrueorFalseaccordingtothetext.

1.Manypeopleexpressedtheirdoubtaboutthecomputer'sabilitytothink.()

2.Thecomputerisoneofthemostintelligentlifeformsonearth.()

3.Inordertofindoutwhethercomputersarecapableofthought,manypeoplehavetoconsider

carefullytheideaofthoughtingeneral.()

4.Somepeoplearenotcapableofthoughtbecausetheyoftenappeartobethoughtlessor

unthinking.()

5.Ithasbeenprovedinsomewaythatcomputersmayhavetheabilityofthought.()

Text5ModernCommunication:TheLaserandFiber-OpticRevolution

1.InApril1995'ayoungChinesechemistrystudentatBeijingUniversitylaydyinginaBeijing

hospital.Shewasinacoma,andalthoughherdoctorshadperformednumeroustests,theycould

notdiscoverwhatwaskillingher.Indesperation,astudentMendpostedanSOSdescribingher

symptomstoseveralmedicalbulletinboardsandmailinglistsontheInternet.Aroundtheworld,

doctorswhoregularlycheckedtheseelectronicbulletinboardsandlistsrespondedimmediately.

2.InWashington,D.C.,Dr.JohnAldis,aphysicianwiththeU.S.DepartmentofState,sawthe

messagefromChina.UsingtheInternet,heforwardedthemessagetocolleaguesinAmerica.

Soonaninternationalgroupofdoctorsjoinedthee-maildiscussion.Adiagnosisemergedthe

womanmighthavebeenpoisonedwiththallium,ametalresemblinglead.ABeijinglaboratory

confirmedthisdiagnosis—thethalliumconcentrationinherbodywasasmuchas1,000times

normal.Moree-mailcommunicationfollowed,astreatmentwassuggestedandthenadjusted.The

womanslowlybegantorecover.Welloverayearlater,theinternationalmedicalcommunitywas

stillkeepingtabsonherconditionthroughtheelectronicmediumthatsavedherlife.

3.Il's11:30p.m.,you'reinSanFranciscoonbusiness,andyouwanttocheckIbrmessagesat

yourofficeinVirginia.Firstyoudialinandgetyourvoicemail.Nextyouplugyourportable

computerintothehotelroomtelephoneJack,hitafewkeys,andpickupe-mailfromapotential

clientinSouthAfrica,yoursisterinLondonandabusinessassociateinDetroit.Beforewriting

yourresponses,youdoaquickbitofsearchontheInternet,trackingdownthenameoftheonline

newsgroupyouhadmentionedtothemaninDetroitandthetitleofabookyouwantedto

recommendtoyoursister.Afewmorekeystrokesandinmomentsyourelectroniclettershave

reachedLondonandDetroit.Then,knowingthatthetimedifferencemeansthenextworkdayhas

beguninSouthAfrica,youcalltherewithoutasecondthought.

4.Thesestoriesreflectsociety\increasingrelianceonasystemofglobalcommunicationthat

canlinkyouequallyeasilywithsomeoneinthenexttownorhalfwayaroundtheworld.The

expandedtelephonelinecapacitythathasallowedthegrowthoftheseformsofcommunicationis

arecentphenomenon.TheUnitedStateshasenjoyeddomestictelephoneserviceformorethana

century,butoverseastelephonecallsweredifficultuntilrelativelyrecently.Foranumberofyears

afterWorldWarILcallstoEuropeorAsiareliedonshortwaveradiosignals.Itsometimestook

theoperatorhourstosetupa3-minutecall,andifyougotthrough,theconnectionwasoften

noisy.

5.In1956,thefirsttransatlanticcopperwirecableallowedsimultaneoustransmissionof36

telephoneconversations—acauseforcelebrationthen,asmallnumbertoday.Othercables

followed;bytheearly1960s,overseastelephonecallshadreached5millionperyear.Thencame

satellitecommunicationinthemiddle1960s.Andby1980s,thetelephonesystemcarriedsome

200millionoverseascallsperyear.Butasdemandsonthetelecommunicationsystemcontinued

toincrease,thelimitationsofcurrenttechnologybecameapparent.Then,in1988,thefirst

transatlanticfiber-opticcablewaslaid,andthetelecommunicationsystemcontinuedtoincrease,

thelimitationsofcurrent"informationsuperhighway,,wasonitswaytobecomingreality.

6.Opticalfibersformthebackboneoftheglobaltelecommunicationsystemtoday.These

remarkablestrandsofglass-each,thinnerthanahumanhair,yetstronger,lengthforlength,than

steel—weredesignedtocarrythevastamountsofdatathatcanbetransmittedviaarelativelynew

formoflight—tightlyfocusedlaserbeams.Together,lasersandopticalfibershavedramatically

increasedthecapacityoftheinternationaltelephonesystem.Atypicalfiber-opticcablemadeupof

100ormoresuchfiberscancarrymorethan40,000voicechannels.Withequallystriking

improvementsincomputing,thenewcommunicationtechnologyhasfueledtheexponential

growthofthephenomenonknownastheInternet.(655words)

自测练习题

Circlethebestansweraccordingtothetext.

1.Thefirsttwoparagraphstellusatruestoryof.

A.internationalcooperationviatheInternet

B.howdangerousthalliumcanbetohuman

C.howonecangethelpfromtheInternet

D.thegid'srecoveryfromthalliumpoisoning

2.Thethirdparagraphtellsusanotherstorythatillustrates

A.amodernbusinessman'stypicalworkday

B.morefunctionsofthemoderncommunicationsystem

C.thetimedifferencebetweenSanFranciscoandSouthAfrica

D.thewaybusinessisdoneinthemodernsociety

3.Theinformationsuperhighwaycameintoexistencebecauseof.

A.copperwirecablesB.satellitecommunication

C.opticalfibersD.laserandopticalfibers

4.Thehighlyefficientmoderncommunicationsystembegan.

A.overacenturyagoB.inthemiddle1960s

C.inthelate1980sD.intheyear1980

5.Whichofthefollowingbestexpressesthemainideaofthetext?

A.Itisopticalfibersandlasersthathavemadetheinformationsuperhighwaypossible.

B.PeoplecancommunicatewitheachothermorequicklynowontheInternet.

C.IthastakenquitealongtimefortheInternettocomeintoexistence.

D.Ifoneisseriouslyill,hecanalwaysgethelpviathemoderncommunicationsystem.

Text6DoAnimalsHaveaCulture?

I.Latelysocialscientistshavebeguntoaskifcultureisfoundjustinhumans,orifsomeanimals

haveculture,too.Whenwespeakofculture,wemeanawayoflifeagroupofpeoplehavein

common.Cultureincludesthebeliefsandattitudeswelearn.Itisthepatternsofbehaviorthathelp

peopletolivetogether.Itisalsothepatternsofbehaviorthatmakeonegroupofpeopledifferent

fromanothergroup.

2.Ourcultureletsusmakeupforhavinglostourstrength,claws,longteeth,andotherdefenses.

Instead,weusetools,cooperatewithoneanother,andcommunicateinlanguage.Buttheseaspects

ofhumanbehavior,or“culture"，canalsobefoundinthelivesofcertainanimals.

3.Weusedtothinkthattheabilitytousetoolswasthedividinglinebetweenhumanbeingsand

otheranimals.Lately,however,wehavefoundthatthisisnotthecase.Chimpanzeescannotonly

usetoolsbutactuallymaketoolsthemselves.Thisisamajorstepupfromsimplypickingupa

handyobjectandusingit.Forexample,chimpshavebeenstrippingtheleavesandtwigsoffa

branch,thenputtingitintoatermitenest.Whenthetermitesbiteatthestick,thechimpremovesit

andeatsthemofftheendnotunlikeouruseofafork!

4.Forsometimewethoughtthatalthoughhumanbeingslearnedtheirculture,animalscould

notbetaughtsuchbehavior.Oreveniftheycouldlearn,theywouldnotteachoneanotherinthe

waypeopledo.Thist