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Cultural Attitudes towards Time

According to anthropologist Irving Hallowell, there is no evidence that humans have an inborn sense of time. A person’s temporal concepts are probably determined largely by culture. One study showed that infants, after a few days of listening to speech around them, will move their heads and limbs in rhythm with the speech they hear. As children develop, they adapt more fully to their temporal culture. This temporal culture influences language, music, poetry and dance. It also affects relationships. We tend to get along well with people who share our sense of time.

One particular cultural attitude towards time is found in polychronic cultures. Some Mediterranean and southwest Asian Cultures are usually placed in this category. Such cultures emphasise relationships among people, flexible timing of appointments, and the careful completion of processes rather than strict schedules. Polychronic people seldom feel that time is being wasted. They tend to consider each activity valuable on its own, not just as part of a larger process.

Polychronic people tend to have many projects going on at the same time, and they may shift frequently from one task to another. They change plans often. For polychronic people, work time is not clearly separable from personal time, so business meetings are considered a form. of socialising.

Monochronic cultures, on the other hand, are oriented towards tasks and schedules. Cultures usually considered monochromic can be found in northern Europe, North America, and some parts of eastern Asia. Monochronic people feel that time is tangible and inflexible and that " time is money. " They do one thing at a time and concentrate on each thing. Time and job commitments are very important to them and they tend to follow plans rigidly. Also, monochromic people clearly separate their work and personal time, and they place a high value on privacy.

As you might expect, people from polychronic and monochromic cultures often misunderstand each other because of their different senses of time. For example, because a monochromic culture is highly compartmentalized, monochromic people tend to sequence conversations as well as tasks. They would not, for instance, interrupt a phone call in order to greet another person who just came into the room In contrast, polychronic people are comfortable with having multiple conversations at the same time. They would consider it rude not to greet someone who entered during a phone conversation.

Complete the summary below by choosing for each blank no more than three words from the passage.

Cultures may have either a【71】______or a monochromic conception of time. Cultures with a polychromic view of time follow a【72】______timetable. People from polychronic cultures tend to work on several【73】______at the same time. On the other hand, people in【74】______perceive events and tasks as being more compartmentalized. In this culture, jobs and even conversations should follow a certain【75】______. Everything in these cultures seems inflexible, and has its own place and time.

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From; Dave@electricalsupplies.com

We are sorry that our computer ordering system broke【16】______last week. The system is now up and【17】______(run) again, but we think the goods you ordered will arrive two or three days late. I think the goods you’ve just ordered should arrive【18】ar______Thursday. Thanks a lot for telling us about the problem with the ZP200. You' 11 be【19】pie______to know the problem’s been put right now.

Regarding the exhibition you' re organizing: It seems you want to return the goods you don’t sell. We' re certainly interested, but could I ask for more【20】det______ before I let you know？ Finally, just【21】______tell you, as of May 1, our warehouse will be open 24 hours a day.

Dear Ms Roberts,

We would like to【22】ap______for the failure of our computer ordering system last week. Please be reassured that the goods ordered will only be【23】de______by two or three working days. The estimated arrival time for your【24】______(late) order is Thursday.

We are【25】gra______to you for reporting the defect in the ZP200 model. We are happy to announce that the defect has now been remedied.

You mention the【26】______ (possible) of taking goods from us on a " sale or return" basis at an exhibition you are organizing. We can certainly【27】con______our interest, but we would like to request【28】______(far) information before we commit ourselves to a【29】______.

Please be advised【30】______as of May 1 our warehouse will be open 24 hours a day.

Yours sincerely,

David Smith

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－－－－He’s upset．You shouldn’t have offended him? －－－－I know I shouldn’t have

A.I didn’t mean to．

B.I wasn’t able to．

C.I was confident of that

D.I was used to it

When I was a teenager，I______a lot and people couldn’t understand what I was saying

A.complained

B.mumbled

C.uttered

D.gossiped

rp design made by rocks ． The wandering mule paths that cross it only emphasize its precision． Throughout hundreds of square miles of arid plateau， other such markings around， most of them concentrated between the towns of Nazca and Palpa． Known as the Nazca Lines， they form a geometric mélange of quardrangles， triangles， and trapezoids ． The markings also form spirals and flowers， narrow lines that extend more than five miles， and a desert zoo of giant creatures － birds ， reptiles ， whales， a monkey， and a spider－ all made by stones whose patterns can only be seen from the air． Because some of the figures resemble the ones that decorate Nazca pottery， archaeologistsattribute the lines to the Nazcas， a coastal people whose culture rose， flourished， and declined between 100 B． C． and A． D． 700． Making the patterns must have been extremely time－consuming． The Nazcas must have cleared millions of rocks to expose the lighter ground beneath them，piled the rocks in rows，and created designs that， in this nearly rainless region， can last thousands of years． But why did they construct them? Nobody really knows． There have been many guesses． Some say that they were prehistoric roads，or farms．Others say they were signals or offerings to celestial beings． It has also been suggested that they constitute a giant astronomical calendar， an almanac for farmers who wished to predict the return of water to valley streams． One study did ascertain that some of the lines point to solstice positions of the sun and moon in ancient times， as well as to the rising and setting points on the horizon of some of the bright stars． But none of the theories have proven to be correct． And so the mystery remains， including the most tantalizing question of all： why did the Nazcas create immense designs that they themselves could never see ， designs that people nowadays can only see from the air? One person who worked to find out the answer was Maria Reiche． For over forty years she photographed and charted “las lineas”， striving to complete a map of the hundreds of designs and figures of this area， which is some thirty miles long and threaded by the Pan American highway． This determined German － born mathematician slept on a camp cot behind her car on the rocky， grassless Peruvian “pampa”， and even when she was elderly， got up before daylight to conduct her research． She scorned the suggestion that the markings may have been airfields for outer － space visitors to earth during prehistoric times． “Once you remove the stones， the ground is quite soft，” she said． “I’m afraid the spacemen would have gotten stuck．” Although Maria Reiche was not able to find the answer ， she crusaded to preserve the patterns so that others following her might have a chance to do so． Questions 1 to 5 Answer the following questions with the information given in the passage in a maximum of fifteen words for each question． 1． Why do people name the patterns the Nazca Lines?2． Are there any definite reasons for the construction of Nazca Lines? If not， what does the author offer?3． Could those who built the Nazca Lines see the patterns? If not， how can people now see them? 4． Did Maria Reiche believe the Nazca Lines have something to do with outer－space visitors? What was her reason? 5． What’s Reiche’s contribution about the mystery of the Nazca Lines even though she had not solved it herself?

w? Tom： Well， I mean， they’re both very stubborn， aren’t they? Selina： That’s for sure

A.It’s not taken for granted

B.Nothing serious

C.It runs in the family

D.It’s hard to say

xt year．

A.remove

B.deport

C.expedite

D.eradicate

A.I’m afraid I don’t know more than you either.

B.Is there anything I can do for you?

C.What exactly would you like to know?

D.How much information did you know?