GMAT考试阅读资料(五)a
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Passage 23
  At the end of the nineteenth century, a rising interest in Native American customs and an increasing desire to understand Native American culture prompted ethnolo- gists to begin recording1 the life stories of Native Amer-(5) ican. Ethnologists had a distinct reason for wanting tohear the stories: they were after linguistic2 or anthropo-logical data that would supplement their own fieldobservations, and they believed that the personalstories, even of a single individual, could increase their(10) understanding of the cultures that they had beenobserving from without. In addition many ethnologistsat the turn of the century believed that Native Amer-ican manners and customs were rapidly disappearing,and that it was important to preserve for posterity4 as(15) much information as could be adequately recordedbefore the cultures disappeared forever.
  There were, however, arguments against this methodas a way of acquiring accurate and complete informa-tion. Franz Boas, for example, described autobiogra-(20) phies as being “of limited value, and useful chiefly forthe study of the perversion5 of truth by memory,” whilePaul Radin contended that investigators7 rarely spentenough time with the tribes they were observing, andinevitably derived9 results too tinged10 by the investi-(25) gator‘s own emotional tone to be reliable.
  Even more importantly, as these life stories movedfrom the traditional oral mode to recorded writtenform, much was inevitably8 lost. Editors often decidedwhat elements were significant to the field research on a(30) given tribe. Native Americans recognized that theessence of their lives could not be communicated inEnglish and that events that they thought significantwere often deemed unimportant by their interviewers.Indeed, the very act of telling their stories could force(35) Native American narrators to distort their cultures, astaboos had to be broken to speak the names of deadrelatives crucial to their family stories.
  Despite all of this, autobiography11 remains12 a usefultool for ethnological research: such personal reminis-(40) cences and impressions, incomplete as they may be, arelikely to throw more light on the working of the mindand emotions than any amount of speculation13 from anethnologist or ethnological theorist from anotherculture.

  1. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
   (A) The historical backgrounds of two currently used research methods are chronicled.
   (B) The validity of the data collected by using two different research methods is compared.
   (C) The usefulness of a research method is questioned and then a new method is proposed.
   (D) The use of a research method is described and the limitations of the results obtained are discussed.
   (E) A research method is evaluated and the changes necessary for its adaptation to other subject areas are discussed.

  2. Which of the following is most similar to the actions of nineteenth-century ethnologists in their editing of the life stories of Native Americans?
   (A) A witness in a jury trial invokes14 the Fifth Amendment15 in order to avoid relating personally incriminating evidence.
   (B) A stockbroker16 refuses to divulge17 the source of her information on the possible future increase in a stock‘s value.
   (C) A sports announcer describes the action in a team sport with which he is unfamiliar18.
   (D) A chef purposely excludes the special ingredient from the recipe of his prizewinning dessert.
   (E) A politician fails to mention in a campaign speech the similarities in the positions held by her opponent for political office and by herself.

  3. According to the passage, collecting life stories can be a useful methodology because
   (A) life stories provide deeper insights into a culture than the hypothesizing of academics who are not members of that culture
   (B) life stories can be collected easily and they are not subject to invalid19 interpretations21
   (C) ethnologists have a limited number of research methods from which to choose
   (D) life stories make it easy to distinguish between the important and unimportant features of a culture
   (E) the collection of life stories does not require a culturally knowledgeable22 investigator6

  4. Information in the passage suggests that which of the following may be a possible way to eliminate bias23 in the editing of life stories?
   (A) Basing all inferences made about the culture on an ethnological theory
   (B) Eliminating all of the emotion-laden information reported by the informant
   (C) Translating the informant‘s words into the researcher’s language
   (D) Reducing the number of questions and carefully specifying24 the content of the questions that the investigator can ask the informant
   (E) Reporting all of the information that the informant provides regardless of the investigator‘s personal opinion about its intrinsic value

  5. The primary purpose of the passage as a whole is to
   (A) question an explanation
   (B) correct a misconception
   (C) critique a methodology
   (D) discredit25 an idea
   (E) clarify an ambiguity26

  6. It can be inferred from the passage that a characteristic of the ethnological research on Native Americans conducted during the nineteenth century was the use of which of the following?
   (A) Investigators familiar with the culture under study
   (B) A language other than the informant‘s for recording life stories
   (C) Life stories as the ethnologist‘s primary source of information
   (D) Complete transcriptions of informants‘ descriptions of tribal27 beliefs
   (E) Stringent28 guidelines for the preservation29 of cultural data

  7. The passage mentions which of the following as a factor that can affect the accuracy of ethnologists‘transcriptions of life stories?
   (A) The informants‘ social standing3 within the culture
   (B) The inclusiveness of the theory that provided the basis for the research
   (C) The length of time the researchers spent in the culture under study
   (D) The number of life stories collected by the researchers
   (E) The verifiability of the information provided by the research informants

  8. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements about the usefulness of life stories as a source of ethnographic information?
   (A) They can be a source of information about how people in a culture view the world.
   (B) They are most useful as a source of linguistic information.
   (C) They require editing and interpretation20 before they can be useful.
   (D) They are most useful as a source of information about ancestry30.
   (E) They provide incidental information rather than significant insights into a way of life.



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1 recording UktzJj     
n.录音,记录
参考例句:
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
2 linguistic k0zxn     
adj.语言的,语言学的
参考例句:
  • She is pursuing her linguistic researches.她在从事语言学的研究。
  • The ability to write is a supreme test of linguistic competence.写作能力是对语言能力的最高形式的测试。
3 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
4 posterity D1Lzn     
n.后裔,子孙,后代
参考例句:
  • Few of his works will go down to posterity.他的作品没有几件会流传到后世。
  • The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at the back of the church.死者姓名都刻在教堂后面的一块石匾上以便后人铭记。
5 perversion s3tzJ     
n.曲解;堕落;反常
参考例句:
  • In its most general sense,corruption means the perversion or abandonment.就其最一般的意义上说,舞弊就是堕落,就是背离准则。
  • Her account was a perversion of the truth.她所讲的歪曲了事实。
6 investigator zRQzo     
n.研究者,调查者,审查者
参考例句:
  • He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
  • The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。
7 investigators e970f9140785518a87fc81641b7c89f7     
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
  • The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 inevitably x7axc     
adv.不可避免地;必然发生地
参考例句:
  • In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去,毫无疑问是会散伙的。
  • Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。
9 derived 6cddb7353e699051a384686b6b3ff1e2     
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取
参考例句:
  • Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 tinged f86e33b7d6b6ca3dd39eda835027fc59     
v.(使)发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • memories tinged with sadness 略带悲伤的往事
  • white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
11 autobiography ZOOyX     
n.自传
参考例句:
  • He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
  • His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。
12 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
13 speculation 9vGwe     
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机
参考例句:
  • Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
  • There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。
14 invokes fc473a1a023d32fa292eb356a237b5d0     
v.援引( invoke的第三人称单数 );行使(权利等);祈求救助;恳求
参考例句:
  • The Roundtable statement invokes the principles of the free market system. 企业界圆桌会议的声明援用了自由市场制度的原则。 来自辞典例句
  • When no more storage is available, the system invokes a garbage collector. 当没有可用的存贮时,系统就调用无用单元收集程序。 来自辞典例句
15 amendment Mx8zY     
n.改正,修正,改善,修正案
参考例句:
  • The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
  • The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。
16 stockbroker ihBz5j     
n.股票(或证券),经纪人(或机构)
参考例句:
  • The main business of stockbroker is to help clients buy and sell shares.股票经纪人的主要业务是帮客户买卖股票。
  • My stockbroker manages my portfolio for me.我的证券经纪人替我管理投资组合。
17 divulge ImBy2     
v.泄漏(秘密等);宣布,公布
参考例句:
  • They refused to divulge where they had hidden the money.他们拒绝说出他们把钱藏在什么地方。
  • He swore never to divulge the secret.他立誓决不泄露秘密。
18 unfamiliar uk6w4     
adj.陌生的,不熟悉的
参考例句:
  • I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
  • The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。
19 invalid V4Oxh     
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的
参考例句:
  • He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
  • A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。
20 interpretation P5jxQ     
n.解释,说明,描述;艺术处理
参考例句:
  • His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
  • Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。
21 interpretations a61815f6fe8955c9d235d4082e30896b     
n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 );表演;演绎;理解
参考例句:
  • This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
22 knowledgeable m2Yxg     
adj.知识渊博的;有见识的
参考例句:
  • He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
  • He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。
23 bias 0QByQ     
n.偏见,偏心,偏袒;vt.使有偏见
参考例句:
  • They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
  • He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。
24 specifying ca4cf95d0de82d4463dfea22d3f8c836     
v.指定( specify的现在分词 );详述;提出…的条件;使具有特性
参考例句:
  • When we describe what the action will affect, we are specifying the noun of the sentence. 当描述动作会影响到什么时,我们指定组成句子的名词。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
  • Procurement section only lists opportunistic infection drugs without specifying which drugs. 采购部分只说明有治疗机会性感染的药物,但并没有说明是什么药物。 来自互联网
25 discredit fu3xX     
vt.使不可置信;n.丧失信义;不信,怀疑
参考例句:
  • Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
  • They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。
26 ambiguity 9xWzT     
n.模棱两可;意义不明确
参考例句:
  • The telegram was misunderstood because of its ambiguity.由于电文意义不明确而造成了误解。
  • Her answer was above all ambiguity.她的回答毫不含糊。
27 tribal ifwzzw     
adj.部族的,种族的
参考例句:
  • He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
  • The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。
28 stringent gq4yz     
adj.严厉的;令人信服的;银根紧的
参考例句:
  • Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
  • Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。
29 preservation glnzYU     
n.保护,维护,保存,保留,保持
参考例句:
  • The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
  • The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。
30 ancestry BNvzf     
n.祖先,家世
参考例句:
  • Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
  • He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。
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