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  3. Culture is transmitted largely by language and by the necessity for people in close contact to cooperate. The more extensive the

Culture is transmitted largely by language and by the necessity for people in close contact to cooperate. The more extensive the

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问题    Culture is transmitted largely by language and by the necessity for people in close contact to cooperate. The more extensive the communications network, the greater the exchange of ideas and beliefs and the more alike people become — in toleration of diversity if nothing else. Members of a culture or a nation are generally in closer contact with one another than with members of other cultures or nations. They become more like each other and more unlike others. In this way, there develops " national character," which is the statistical tendency for a group of people to share values and follow similar behavior patterns.
   Frequently, the members of one culture will interpret the "national characteristics" of another group in terms of their own values. For example, the inhabitants of a South Pacific island may be considered "lazy" by citizens of some industrialized nations. On the other hand, it may be that the islanders place a great value on social relationships but little value on "productivity," and crops grow with little attention. The negative connotation of the label "lazy" is thus unjustified from the point of view of the island culture.
   Stereotypes, such as "lazy" ,"inscrutable," and "dishonest" give people the security of labels with which to react to others in a superficial way, but they are damaging to real understanding among members of different cultures. People react more to labels than to reality. A black American Peace Corps volunteer, for instance, is considered and called a white man by black Africans. The "we-they" distinction applies to whatever characteristic the "wes" have and the "theys" do not have — and the characteristics attributed to the "theys" are usually ones with a negative value.
   The distinction becomes most obvious in times of conflict. For this reason, it is often suggested the only thing that might join all men together on this planet would be an invasion from outer space. " We," the earthlings, would then fight " them," the outsiders.
   Given the great diversities — real and imagined — among people of the world, is there any foundation for hope that someday all men might join together to form a single and legitimate world government? The outcome will probably depend on the political evolution of mankind.
To some industrialized nations, the mentioned South Pacific islanders are______.
选项 A、idle
B、carefree
C、inefficient
D、well-organized
答案A
解析 本题是细节题，实际也考查考生对“lazy”一词的理解。选项中只有“idle”与之最接近。
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