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  3. The beginning of what was to become the United States was characterized by inconsistencies in the values and behavior of its pop

The beginning of what was to become the United States was characterized by inconsistencies in the values and behavior of its pop

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问题     The beginning of what was to become the United States was characterized by inconsistencies in the values and behavior of its population, inconsistencies that were reflected by population, inconsistencies that were reflected by its spokesmen, who took conflicting stances in many areas, but on the subject of race, the conflicts were particularly vivid. The idea that the Caucasian race and European civilization were superior was well entrenched in the culture of the colonists at the very time that the "egalitarian" republic was founded. Voluminous historical evidence indicates that, in the mind of the average colonist, the African was a heathen, he was black, and he was different in crucial philosophical ways. As time progressed, he was also increasingly captive, adding to the conception of deviance. The African, therefore, could be justifiaby (and even philanthropically) treated as property according to the reasoning of slavetraders and slaveholders.
    Although slaves were treated as objects, bountiful evidence suggests that they did not view themselves similarly. There are many published autobiographies of slaves. African- American scholars are beginning to know enough about West African culture to appreciate the existential climate in which the early captives were raised and which therefore could not be totally destroyed by the enslavement experience. This was a climate that defined individuality in collective terms. Individuals were members of a tribe, within which they had prescribed roles determined by the history of their family within the tribe. Individuals were inherently a part of the natural elements on which they depended, and they were actively related to those tribal members who once lived and to those not yet born.
    The colonial plantation system which was established and into which Africans were thrust did virtually eliminate tribal affiliations. Individuals were separated from kin. Interrelation- ships among kin kept together were often transient because of sales. A new identification with those slaves working and living together in a given place could satisfy what was undoubtedly a natural tendency to be a member of a group. New family units became the most important attachments of individual slaves. Thus, as the system of slavery was gradually institutionalized, West African affiliation tendencies adapted to it.
    This exceedingly complex dual influence is still reflected in black community life, and the double consciousness of black Americans is the major characteristic of African-American mentality. Du Bois articulated this divided consciousness as follows:
    The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife--this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging, he wishes neither of the older selves to be best.
    Several black political movements have looked upon this duality as destructively conflictual and have variously urged its reconciliation. Thus, the integrationists and the black nationalists, to be crudely general, have both been concerned with resolving the conflict, but in opposite directions.
Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the passage?
选项 A、The History of Black People in the United States.
B、West African Tribal Relations.
C、The Origin of Modern African-American Consciousness.
D、Slavery: A Democratic Anomaly.
答案C
解析 现代美国黑人意识的源流。A(The History of Black People in the United States)的题目太大或者说太宽泛。因为本文只是着重讨论美国较早的一个历史时期的情况，不可能反映美国黑人史的全貌。所以A应该排除。B(West African Tribal Relations西非的部落关系)之所以不能选，是因为尽管对西非种族关系的讨论是本文的一个重要组成部分，但它不是本文的主题。C正确，因为本文将白人对黑奴的态度同黑人对自己的态度进行对比，然后表明这种文化史对当代美国黑人造成的影响。D(Slavery：A Democratic Anomoly，奴隶制度；民主社会的一个特例)不对，因为本文并未涉及奴隶和民主之间的关系。
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