People have wondered for a long time how their personalities and behaviors are formed.It is not easy to explain why one person is intelligent and another is not, or why one is cooperative and another is competitive.

       Social scientists are, of course, extremely interested in these types of questions.They want to explain why we possess certain characteristics and exhibit certain behaviors.There are no clear answers yet, but two distinct schools of thought on the matter have developed.As one might expect, the two approaches are very different from one another, and there is a great deal of debate between proponents of each theory.The controversy is often referred to as “nature/nurture”.

       Those who support the “nature” side of the conflict believe that our personalities and behavior patterns are largely determined by biological and genetic factors.That our environment has little, if anything, to do with our abilities, characteristics, and behavior is central to this theory.Taken to an extreme, this theory maintains that our behavior is predetermined to such a degree that we are almost completely governed by our instincts.

       Proponents of the “nurture” theory, or, as they are often called, behaviorists, claimed that our environment is more important than our biologically based instincts in determining how we will act.A behaviorist, B.F.Skinner, sees humans as beings whose behavior is almost completely shaped by their surroundings.The behaviorists’ view of the human being is quite mechanistic; they maintain that, like machines, humans’ respond to environmental stimuli as the basis of their behavior.

       Either of these theories cannot yet fully explain human behavior.In fact, it is quite likely that the key to our behavior lies somewhere between these two extremes.That the controversy will continue for a long time is certain.

1.Which of the following statements would the supporters of the “nature” theory agree with?

       A.A person’s instincts have little effect on his actions.

       B.Environment is important in determining a person’s behavior and personality.

       C.Biological reasons have a strong influence on how we act.

       D.The behaviorists’ view correctly explains how we act.

2.Concerning the nature/nurture controversy, the writer of this article     

       A.supports the nature theory

       B.supports the nurture theory

       C.believes both are completely wrong

       D.thinks that the correct explanation of human behavior will take ideas from both theories.

3.In the United States, Black people often score below White people on intelligence tests.With this in mind, which of the following statements is NOT true?

       A.Nature proponents would say that Whites are genetically superior to Blacks.

       B.Supporters of the nature theory would say that Whites score well because they have a superior environment.

       C.Behaviorists would say that Blacks often lack the educational and environmental advantages that Whites enjoy.

       D.Nurture proponents would disagree that Blacks are biologically inferior to Whites.

       The English have the reputation of being very different from all other nationalities.It is claimed that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it.Whatever the reasons, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed some attitudes and habits distinguishing him from other nationalities.

Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, and reserved person among people he knows well.Before strangers he often seems inhibited, even embarrassed.You have only to witness a railway compartment any morning or evening to see the truth.Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or dozing(打盹)in a corner, and no one speaks.An English wit once suggested to overseas visitors, "On entering a railway compartment shake hands with all the passengers." Needless to say, he was not being serious.There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior, which, if broken, makes the person immediately the object of suspicion.

It is well known that the English seldom show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion etc.Of course, an Englishman feels no less than any other nationality.Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl.A man of more emotional temperament might describe her as "a marvelous jewel", while the Englishman will flatly state "Um, she's all right." An Englishman may recommend a highly successful and enjoyable film to friends by commenting, "It's not bad." The overseas visitors must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest.They must realize that "all right", "not bad" are very often used with the sense of "first class", "excellent".This special use of language is particularly common in English.

1.One explanation for the different character of English people is that ________.

A.they are geographically isolated from the European continent

B.they have nothing to do with the other Europeans

C.they like to keep quiet among their acquaintances

D.they tend to be reserved by nature

2.Examda.CoM

讨厌

 

 

 

 

 

.The word "inhibited" (Line 2, Para.2) in this passage probably means ________ .

A.unable to have good manners

B.unable to express and relax freely

       C.able to act properly

       D.able to talk freely

3.According to the passage, on entering a railway compartment, an overseas visitor is expected to ________ .

       A.inquire about the code of behavior in the train

       B.shake hands with all the passengers

       C.shake hands with the person he knows

       D.behave like an Englishman

4.The English way of commenting on something or somebody suggests that ________.

       A.the English are modest in most circumstances

       B.the English feel no less than any other nationality

       C.the English tend to display less emotion than they feel

       D.the English don't take a strong interest in making comment

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