Culture is the sum total of all the traditions, customs, belief and ways of life of a given group of human beings. In this sense, every group has a culture, however savage, undeveloped, or uncivilized it may seem to us.
To the professional anthropologist, there is no intrinsic superiority of one culture over another, just as to the professional linguist there is no intrinsic hierarchy among languages.
People once thought of the languages of backward groups as savage, undeveloped form of speech, consisting largely of grunts and groans. While it is possible that language in general began as a series of grunts and groans, it is a fact established by the study of "backward" languages that no spoken tongue answers that description today. Most languages of uncivilized groups are, by our most severe standards, extremely complex, delicate, and ingenious pieces of machinery for the transfer of ideas. They fall behind the western languages not in their sound patterns or grammatical structures, which usually are fully adequate for all language needs, but only in their vocabularies, which reflect the objects and activities known to their speakers. Even in this department, however, two things are to he noted: 1. All languages seem to possess the machinery for vocabulary expansion; either by putting together words already in existence or by borrowing them from other languages and adapting them to their own system. 2. The objects and activities requiring names and distinctions in "backward" languages, while different from ours; are often surprisingly numerous and complicated. A western language distinguishes merely between two degrees of remoteness ("this" and "that"); some languages of the American Indians distinguish between what is close to the speaker, or the person addressed, or remote from both, or out of sight, or in the past, or in the future.
This study of language, in turn, casts a new light upon the claim of the anthropologists that all cultures are to viewed independently, and without ideas of rank or hierarchy.
The example of American Indian languages in the passage is to illustrate that______.

A:American Indian languages are not backward B:"backward" languages are borrowing from other languages C:"backward" languages may possess quite complicated vocabularies D:western languages may also borrow from "backward" languages

When foreigners are sometimes asked what seems most strange about American society, somewhere on the top of the list will be the fact the average citizen is allowed to possess guns.
Although it is true that many people carry guns legally in the United States, it is also known that many who possess guns carry illegally. Others, who don’t have guns, feel that guns can be acquired quite easily. A recent survey indicated that many high school students, especially in the inner cities, can acquire gun with little difficulty.
Although most people would never want to own a gun, others have taken up hunting as a sport and enjoy hunting wild game in season. Hunting for deer and duck in fall and winter is very much a part of the American culture.
Also, some farmers in rural areas who raise cattle and sheep feel they need to protect their animals against wolves that attack their herds and flocks at night. To defend and support their rights to possess firearms the National Rifle Association (NRA) was founded in 1871. The main importance of this organization has been its efforts to prevent strict gun control legislation. The NRA has great political support in small towns and rural areas, especially in the West and the South, where hunting is especially popular. Those who favor the right to possess guns insist that the Constitution provides the right of people "to keep and bear arms". They believe that gun control laws will not solve the problem of crime and violence in America.
Recent events in America, however, have shown that the question of gun possession is now out of control and strong voices have called for immediate action to be taken. In seemingly peaceful schools students have gone into classrooms and opened fire upon their classmates. America has been shocked by such incidents which seem to occur with greater frequency. The periodic deaths of innocent citizens and even foreign visitors from guns have forced legislators to pass laws to stop these senseless killings.
The day may not be far off when America will be transformed from a gun culture to one which controls their use and possession.
What is most unusual about American society

A:Many Americans acquire guns illegally. B:Ordinary people can possess guns legally. C:The average citizen does not try to possess guns. D:Many school children carry guns legally.

When foreigners are sometimes asked what seems most strange about American society, somewhere on the top of the list will be the fact the average citizen is allowed to possess guns.
Although it is true that many people carry guns legally in the United States, it is also known that many who possess guns carry illegally. Others, who don’t have guns, feel that guns can be acquired quite easily. A recent survey indicated that many high school students, especially in the inner cities, can acquire gun with little difficulty.
Although most people would never want to own a gun, others have taken up hunting as a sport and enjoy hunting wild game in season. Hunting for deer and duck in fall and winter is very much a part of the American culture.
Also, some farmers in rural areas who raise cattle and sheep feel they need to protect their animals against wolves that attack their herds and flocks at night. To defend and support their rights to possess firearms the National Rifle Association (NRA) was founded in 1871. The main importance of this organization has been its efforts to prevent strict gun control legislation. The NRA has great political support in small towns and rural areas, especially in the West and the South, where hunting is especially popular. Those who favor the right to possess guns insist that the Constitution provides the right of people "to keep and bear arms". They believe that gun control laws will not solve the problem of crime and violence in America.
Recent events in America, however, have shown that the question of gun possession is now out of control and strong voices have called for immediate action to be taken. In seemingly peaceful schools students have gone into classrooms and opened fire upon their classmates. America has been shocked by such incidents which seem to occur with greater frequency. The periodic deaths of innocent citizens and even foreign visitors from guns have forced legislators to pass laws to stop these senseless killings.
The day may not be far off when America will be transformed from a gun culture to one which controls their use and possession.
The National Rifle Association was established to ______.

A:help strengthen gun control laws B:unite people who possess guns C:defend Americans’ right to possess guns D:solve the problem of crime and violence

第三篇 Archive Gallery: The Best of Bionics （仿生学） Humans might be the most highly-evolved species on the planet, but most animals possess skills we can only dream of having. Imagine how much electricity we could save if we could see in the dark the way cats do. Imagine leaping from tree to tree like a monkey. Giraffes（长颈鹿）, which are otherwise calm and good-natured, sleep only 4.6 hours a day. We realized a long, long time ago that nature provides the best blueprint（蓝图） for invention. We’ve borrowed canals from beavers（河狸） and reflectors from cat’s eyes. Although the words "bionics" became popular only after the 1960s, history shows that nature has always provided ideas on solving everyday problems. Our archives（档案） don’t go back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci and his bird-like flying machines, but we can take you to the late 19th century, where we applied those same principles for building our first practical airplanes. To prepare for their flight at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers studied the movements of pigeons to figure out how they stayed high up when they were heavier than air. Their success inspired scores of successors to improve on the airplane by studying various aspects of nature. One of Orville Wright’s pupils caught and stuffed seagulls to examine their wingspan. Meanwhile, two French inventors examined spinning sycamore (梧桐) seeds in an effort to apply those same motions, reversed, to a helicopter. Some examples are more obvious than others. The outside of the airplane designed by the Wright brothers looks like a minimalistic（简单抽象艺术） structure. On the other hand, Barney Connett’s fish submarine（潜水艇） actually looks like a fish. Some bio-inspired concepts have yet to be invented. In the 1960s, the US Army commissioned several university professors to conduct research on the motor skills of animals in hope of applying those same abilities to tanks. Tanks that run like horses or jump like grasshoppers（蚂蚱）- sounds shocking, doesn’t it? But imagine how life would change if we could achieve that. "Cats", "monkeys" and ’giraffes" mentioned in paragraph 1 are examples to illustrate

A:they are highly-evolved species as humans. B:animals have skills that humans do not possess. C:humans can learn animals’ skills. D:they are skillful in different ways.

第三篇 Archive Gallery: The Best of Bionics （仿生学） Humans might be the most highly-evolved species on the planet, but most animals possess skills we can only dream of having. Imagine how much electricity we could save if we could see in the dark the way cats do. Imagine leaping from tree to tree like a monkey. Giraffes（长颈鹿）, which are otherwise calm and good-natured, sleep only 4.6 hours a day. We realized a long, long time ago that nature provides the best blueprint（蓝图） for invention. We’ve borrowed canals from beavers（河狸） and reflectors from cat’s eyes. Although the words "bionics" became popular only after the 1960s, history shows that nature has always provided ideas on solving everyday problems. Our archives（档案） don’t go back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci and his bird-like flying machines, but we can take you to the late 19th century, where we applied those same principles for building our first practical airplanes. To prepare for their flight at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers studied the movements of pigeons to figure out how they stayed high up when they were heavier than air. Their success inspired scores of successors to improve on the airplane by studying various aspects of nature. One of Orville Wright’s pupils caught and stuffed seagulls to examine their wingspan. Meanwhile, two French inventors examined spinning sycamore (梧桐) seeds in an effort to apply those same motions, reversed, to a helicopter. Some examples are more obvious than others. The outside of the airplane designed by the Wright brothers looks like a minimalistic（简单抽象艺术） structure. On the other hand, Barney Connett’s fish submarine（潜水艇） actually looks like a fish. Some bio-inspired concepts have yet to be invented. In the 1960s, the US Army commissioned several university professors to conduct research on the motor skills of animals in hope of applying those same abilities to tanks. Tanks that run like horses or jump like grasshoppers（蚂蚱）- sounds shocking, doesn’t it? But imagine how life would change if we could achieve that. What does the writer want to tell in the passage?

A:Some animals possess unique skills. B:Many inventions get ideas from nature. C:People should protect nature. D:Bionics is far from perfect.

第一篇Active Gallery: The best of Bionics(仿生学) Humans might be the most highly-evolved species on the planet, but most animals possess skills we can only dream of having. Imagine how much electricity we could save if we could see in the dark the way cats do. Imagine leaping from tree to tree like a monkey. Giraffes(长颈鹿), which are otherwise calm and good-natured, sleep only 4.6 hours a day. We realized a long, long time ago that nature provides the best blueprint(蓝图)for invention. We’ve borrowed canals from beavers(河狸)and reflectors from cat’s eyes. Although the words “bionics” became popular only after the 1960s, history shows that nature has always provided ideas on solving everyday problems. Our archives（档案）don’t go back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci and his bird-like flying machines, but we can take you to the late 19th century, where we applied those same principles for building our first practical airplanes. To prepare for their flight at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers studied the movements of pigeons to figure out how they stayed high up when they were heavier than air. Their success inspired scores of successors to improve on the airplane by studying various aspects of nature. One of Orville Wright’s pupils caught and stuffed seagulls to examine their wingspan. Meanwhile, two French inventors examined spinning sycamore(梧桐) seeds in an effort to apply those same motions, reversed, to a helicopter. Some examples are more obvious than others. The outside of the airplane designed by the Wright brothers looks like a minimalistic (简单抽象艺术) structure. On the other hand, Barney Connett’s fish submarine (潜水艇) actually looks like a fish. Some bio-inspired concepts have yet to be invented. In the 1960s, the US Army commissioned several university professors to conduct research on the motor skills animals in hope of applying those same abilities to tanks. Tanks that run like horses or jump like grasshoppers(蚂蚱)-sounds shocking, doesn’t it? But imagine how life would change if we could achieve that. “Cats”, "monkeys" and “giraffes” mentioned in paragraph 1 are examples to illustrate

A:they are highly-evolved species as humans. B:humans can learn animals’ kills. C:they are skillful in different ways. D:animals have skills that humans do not possess.

第一篇Active Gallery: The best of Bionics(仿生学) Humans might be the most highly-evolved species on the planet, but most animals possess skills we can only dream of having. Imagine how much electricity we could save if we could see in the dark the way cats do. Imagine leaping from tree to tree like a monkey. Giraffes(长颈鹿), which are otherwise calm and good-natured, sleep only 4.6 hours a day. We realized a long, long time ago that nature provides the best blueprint(蓝图)for invention. We’ve borrowed canals from beavers(河狸)and reflectors from cat’s eyes. Although the words “bionics” became popular only after the 1960s, history shows that nature has always provided ideas on solving everyday problems. Our archives（档案）don’t go back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci and his bird-like flying machines, but we can take you to the late 19th century, where we applied those same principles for building our first practical airplanes. To prepare for their flight at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers studied the movements of pigeons to figure out how they stayed high up when they were heavier than air. Their success inspired scores of successors to improve on the airplane by studying various aspects of nature. One of Orville Wright’s pupils caught and stuffed seagulls to examine their wingspan. Meanwhile, two French inventors examined spinning sycamore(梧桐) seeds in an effort to apply those same motions, reversed, to a helicopter. Some examples are more obvious than others. The outside of the airplane designed by the Wright brothers looks like a minimalistic (简单抽象艺术) structure. On the other hand, Barney Connett’s fish submarine (潜水艇) actually looks like a fish. Some bio-inspired concepts have yet to be invented. In the 1960s, the US Army commissioned several university professors to conduct research on the motor skills animals in hope of applying those same abilities to tanks. Tanks that run like horses or jump like grasshoppers(蚂蚱)-sounds shocking, doesn’t it? But imagine how life would change if we could achieve that. What does the writer want to tell in the passage?

A:Many inventions get ideas from nature. B:Some animals possess unique skills. C:People should protect nature. D:Bionics is far from perfect.

A corporation is a firm owned by one or more individuals who own shares of stock that define ownership and rights to profits. Liability is limited to the value of corporation assets. Although corporations constitute the smallest category of business organization in the United States, they conduct most of the business. In 1998. corporations accounted for just 19 percent of the total number of firms in the economy but 90 percent of total business revenuers. From these numbers we can infer that many large firms are corporations and that this form of business organization possesses certain advantages over the proprietorship and the partnership in conducting large-scale production and marketing.
In a corporation, ownership is divided into equal parts called shares of stock. Shares are the equal portions into which ownership of a corporation is divided. If any stockholder dies or sells out to a new owner, the existence of the business organization is not terminated or endangered as it is in a proprietorship or partnership. For this reason the corporation is said to possess the feature of continuity(连续性).
Another feature that makes the corporation radically different from other forms of business organization is share transferability—the right of owners to transfer their shares by sale or gift without having to obtain the permission of other shareholders(股东). For many large organizations, shares of stock are traded on a stock market such as the New York Stock Exchange. Other corporations, however, are smaller, and their shares are traded so seldom that they are not even listed on formal stock exchanges. The shares of these firms are traded by in- dependent stockbrokers(股票经纪人) on the over-the-counter market.
Share transferability is the most economically important feature of the corporation; in fact, share transferability is one reason for the origin of the corporation. It allows owners and managers to specialize, increasing efficiency and profitability in the firm. Owners of stock in a corporation do not need to be concerned with the day-to-day operations of the firm. All that owners need to do is observe the changing price of the firm’s shares on the stock market to decide whether the company is being competently managed if they are dissatisfied with the performance of the company, they can sell their stock. Managers, on the other hand, specialize in reviewing the day-to-day operations of the corporation.
Still another feature of the corporation is limited liability. Corporate shareholders are responsible for the debts or liabilities of the corporation only to the extent that they have invested in it. Many investors preferinvestments in which their risk of personal loss is strictly limited; the amount of direct investment in corporations is therefore increased as a result of the limited liability involved.
What is this passage mainly about ______

A:The concept and features of corporation. B:The difference between corporation and other forms of business organization. C:The advantages corporations Possess. D:The formation of a corporation.

? ?A corporation is a firm owned by one or more individuals who own shares of stock that define ownership and rights to profits. Liability is limited to the value of corporation assets. Although corporations constitute the smallest category of business organization in the United States, they conduct most of the business. In 1998. corporations accounted for just 19 percent of the total number of firms in the economy but 90 percent of total business revenuers. From these numbers we can infer that many large firms are corporations and that this form of business organization possesses certain advantages over the proprietorship and the partnership in conducting large-scale production and marketing.
? ?In a corporation, ownership is divided into equal parts called shares of stock. Shares are the equal portions into which ownership of a corporation is divided. If any stockholder dies or sells out to a new owner, the existence of the business organization is not terminated or endangered as it is in a proprietorship or partnership. For this reason the corporation is said to possess the feature of continuity(连续性).
? ?Another feature that makes the corporation radically different from other forms of business organization is share transferability-the right of owners to transfer their shares by sale or gift without having to obtain the permission of other shareholders(股东). For many large organizations, shares of stock are traded on a stock market such as the New York Stock Exchange. Other corporations, however, are smaller, and their shares are traded so seldom that they are not even listed on formal stock exchanges. The shares of these firms are traded by independent stockbrokers(股票经纪人) on the over-the-counter market.
? ?Share transferability is the most economically important feature of the corporation; in fact, share transferability is one reason for the origin of the corporation. It allows owners and managers to specialize, increasing efficiency and profitability in the firm. Owners of stock in a corporation do not need to be concerned with the day-to-day operations of the firm. All that owners need to do is observe the changing price of the firm’s shares on the stock market to decide whether the company is being competently managed if they are dissatisfied with the performance of the company, they can sell their stock. Managers, on the other hand , specialize in reviewing the day-to-day operations of the corporation.
? ?Still another feature of the corporation is limited liability. Corporate shareholders are responsible for the debts or liabilities of the corporation only to the extent that they have invested in it. Many investors prefer investments in which their risk of personal loss is strictly limited; the amount of direct investment in corporations is therefore increased as a result of the limited liability involved.

What is this passage mainly about?______

A:The concept and features of corporation. B:The difference between corporation and other forms of business organization. C:The advantages corporations possess. D:The formation of a corporation.