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  3. Rewards and punishments are used in different ways by different communities to maintain social order and to preserve cultural va

Rewards and punishments are used in different ways by different communities to maintain social order and to preserve cultural va

admin2010-07-06  32
问题       Rewards and punishments are used in different ways by different communities to maintain social order and to preserve cultural values. In all cultures, parents must teach their children to avoid danger and to observe the community’s moral precepts.  Adults also condition each other’s oberservance of social norms, using methods ranging from mild forms of censure, such as looking away when someone makes an inappropriate remark, to imprisoning or executing individuals for behavior considered deviant or dangerous. The caning of American teenager Michael Fay in Singapore for vandalism in 1994 brought wide media attention to cultural differences in the application of punishment. Faced with increasing violence at home, many Americans endorsed Singapore’s use of corporal punishment to maintain social order. Was Fay’s punishment effective? Whether be subsequently avoids vandalism is unknown, but the punishment did apparently lead to his avoidance of Singapore which he left promptly.
      The operant techniques societies use to maintain social control vary in part with the dangers and threats that confront them. The Gusii of Kenya, with a history of tribal warfare, lace threats not only from outsiders but also from natural forces, including wild animals. Gusii parents tend to rely more on punishment and fear than on rewards in conditioning appropriate social behavior in their children.Caning, food deprivation, and withdrawing shelter and protection are common forms of punishment.
     In contrast, the Mixtecans of Juxtiahuaca, Mexico, arc a highly cohesive community, with little internal conflict, and social norms that encourage cooperation. Their social patterns appear adaptive, for the Mixtecans are dominated by the nearby Spanish Mexicans, who control the official government arid many economic resources in their region. The Mixtecans do not generally impose fines or jail sentences or use physical punishment to deter aggression in either adults or children. Rather, they tend to rely on soothing persuasion. Social ostracism is the most feared punishment, and social ties within the community are very strong, so responses that reinforce these ties are effective in maintaining social order.
     In the United States, fear of social ostracism or stigma was a more powerful force in maintaining control over anti-social behavior, especially in small communities. Today, even imprisonment does not appear to be an adequate deterrent to many forms of crime, especially violent crime. Although one reason is the inconsistent application of punishment, another may be the fact that imprisonment no longer carries the intense stigma it once had, so that prison is not longer as an effective punishment.
What can be inferred from the Michael Fay case?
选项 A、Many Americans were opposed to the corporal punishment that Michael Fay received in Singapore.
B、The American media did not pay any attention to cultural differences until 1994.
C、The caning was effective because Michael Fay subsequently refrained from vandalism.
D、Michael Fay left Singapore immediately after the caning punishment.
答案D
解析 本题为细节题。在文章第一段最后 “but the punishment did apparently lead to his avoidance of Singapore which he left promptly”，说明他很快离开了新加坡。A，B，C 的反证均可在文章第一段找到。
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