Gre阅读真题200篇 brief contents
|
|  Yüklə 3.1 Mb.
|
Chimps and children, gulls andChimps and children, gulls and Greeks—the ethologists go their merry way, comparing bits of human cultural behavior with bits of genetically programmed animal behavior. True, humans are animals; they share certain anatomical features with other animals, and some items of human behavior may seem analogous to the behavior of other animals. But such analogies can seriously mislead if we fail to look at the context of a particular item of behavior. Thus one ethologist compares the presentation of a twig by a cormorant with gift-giving in humans. Yet the cormorant’s twig-presentation simply inhibits attack and is comparable to other appeasement rituals found in many species. Human gift-giving differs in form and purpose not only from culture to culture, but within the same culture in various social contexts. Everything significant about it derives from its social context. Thus, ethologists can accomplish little—beyond reminding us that we are animals—until they study humans as cultural beings. 17. The author is primarily concerned with (A) demonstrating the usefulness of ethology in discovering the behavioral limits within which humans operate (B) objecting to the degradation of humanity implicit in the ethologists equation of humans and animals (C) pointing out the dangers inherent in comparing highly dissimilar species, such as humans and cormorants, rather than similar ones, such as humans and apes (D) refuting the idea that the appeasement rituals in human cultural behavior can be profitably subjected to ethological analysis（E） (E) arguing that the ethologists’ assumption that human behavior can be straightforwardly compared with animal behavior is invalid 18. The author believes that gift-giving in humans (A) is instinctive behavior (B) is analogous to appeasement rituals in other animals (C) is not an appropriate subject of study for ethologists (D) must be considered within its social context to be properly understood（D） (E) may be a cultural remnant of behavior originally designed to inhibit attack 19. The author’s attitude toward contemporary ethologists can best be described as (A) puzzled (B) conciliatory (C) defensive (D) amused（E） (E) disparaging 20. Which of the following statements from a report on a cross-cultural study of gift-giving would, if true, most strongly support the author’s assertions concerning human gift-giving? (A) In every culture studied, it was found that some forms of gift-giving are acts of aggression that place the receiver under obligation to the giver. (B) Most governmental taxation systems differentiate between gifts of property given to children during a parent’s lifetime, and a child’s inheritance of the same property from a parent dying without a will. (C) Some gift-giving customs have analogous forms in nearly every culture, as in the almost universal custom of welcoming strangers with gifts of food. (D) In North America, generally speaking, money is an acceptable holiday gift to one’s letter carrier or garbage collector, but is often considered an insult if given to one’s employer, friends, or relatives.（D） (E) Some gifts, being conciliatory in nature, indicate by their costliness the degree of hostility they must appease in the recipient.
Feelings of hopelessness among medieval workers trapped in the poverty cycle gradually lessened as it became possible for women’s labor to supplement a family’s money income by more than pennies. By 1300, women spinners could be found working on their own (on one's own: adv.独自地, 独立地, 主动地) for wealthy sponsors, even after the introduction in Italy and France of prohibition against advancing money for supplies to women spinners. Historians have usually interpreted this prohibition simply as evidence of women’s economic subjection, since it obliged them to turn to usurers; however, it was also almost certainly a response to a trend toward differential reward for women’s higher skill. Yarn can be spun irregularly and lumpily, but perfectly smooth yarn is worth more. Working for merchant entrepreneurs on time rates, women had been paid hardly more than children; working as entrepreneurs themselves and producing good work by the piece, they could break into (to make entry or entrance into “broke into the house” “break into show business”) the rational system of differential rewards. 23. The primary purpose of the passage is to (A) propose and defend a theory about the consequences of a certain historical event (B) present historical facts and offer a broader interpretation of those facts than has been offered in the past (C) describe the socioeconomic effects of a widely held attitude during a particular historical period (D) demonstrate the superiority of using an economic approach to historical analysis（B） (E) call attention to the influence of the textile industry on society during a particular historical period 24. It can be inferred from the passage that the author views the system of paying all workers equally on time rates as (A) unfair and not rational (B) undesirable but unavoidable (C) efficient and profitable (D) advantageous to most women workers（A） (E) evidence of a trend toward a more modern wage system 25. The passage implies which of the following about women spinners in medieval Europe? (A) Most of them worked independently for wealthy sponsors. (B) They were not typical of medieval women entrepreneurs. (C) Some of them were paid for their work after it was done, according to its value. (D) They would have been able to contribute substantial amounts to their families incomes were it not for the prohibition against advancing money to them.（C） (E) They were inevitably disadvantaged in the marketplace because they were obliged to obtain money for their supplies from usurers. 26. The passage implies that feelings of hopelessness among medieval workers (A) resulted primarily from the lack of a rational system of differential rewards (B) disappeared completely once medieval textile workers were able to break the cycle of poverty (C) were more prevalent among female workers than among male workers (D) came into being in part because of women’s limited earning capacity（D） (E) were particularly common among textile workers in Italy and France 27. The author suggests that historians have done which of the following? (A) Failed to give adequate consideration to the economic contribution of women during the medieval period. (B) Overestimated the degree of hopelessness experienced by medieval workers trapped in the poverty cycle. (C) Ignored the fact that by 1300 many women spinners were working independently rather than for merchant entrepreneurs. (D) Regard the economic status of women in Italy and France as representative of women’s status throughout medieval Europe.（E） (E) Overlooked part of the significance of a prohibition governing one aspect of yarn production in medieval Europe.
|