Why are people always ethnocentric？

听力原文：Narrator Listen to part of a talk in an anthropology class. Professor Culture shock can be an excellent lesson in relative values and in understanding human differences. But why does culture shock occur? Thats because were not prepared for these differences. Because of the way we are taught our culture, we are all ethnocentric. Ethnocentrism is the belief that ones own patterns of behavior. are best, to be specific, the most natural, beautiful, right or important. When we say one is ethnocentric, it means that his outlook or world view is centered on his own way of life, while, therefore, other people, to the extent that they live differently, live by standards that are inhuman, irrational, unnatural, or wrong. Theres no one in our society who is not ethnocentric to some degree, no matter how liberal and open-minded he or she might claim to be. People will always find some aspect of another culture distasteful, I mean...it may be others sexual practices, a way of treating friends or relatives, or...simply, a food that they cannot manage to get down with a smile. This is...I should say, not something we should be ashamed of, because it is a natural outcome of growing up in any society. However, as anthropologists who study other cultures, it is something we should constantly be aware of, so that when were tempted to make value judgments about another way of life, we can look at the situation objectively and take our bias into account. Ethnocentrism can be seen in many aspects of culture—myths, folktales, proverbs, and even language. For example, in many languages, especially those of non-Western societies, the word used to refer to ones own tribe or ethnic group literally means "mankind" or "human". This implies that members of other groups are less than human. For example, the term Eskimo...is used to refer to groups that inhabit the arctic and sub-arctic regions. However, it is an Indian word used by neighbors of the Eskimos who observed their strange way of life but did not share it. The term means "eaters of raw flesh", as such is an ethnocentric observation about cultural practices that were normal to one group and repulsive to another. On the other hand, if we look at one subgroup among the Alaskan natives, we find them calling themselves Inuit, which means "real people" -they obviously didnt think eating raw flesh was anything out of the ordinary. Here, then, is a contrast between ones own group, which is real, and the rest of the world, which is not so "real". Both terms, Eskimo and Inuit, are equally ethnocentric—one as an observation about differences, the other as a self-evaluation. However, Inuit is now seen as a more appropriate term because of its origin. Now, shifting from language to myths and folktales, we find a good example of ethnocentrism in the creation myth of the Cherokee Indians. According to this story, the Creator made three clay images of a man and baked them in an oven. In his haste to admire his handwork, he took the first image out of the oven before it was fully baked and found that it was too pale. He waited a while and then removed the second image—it was just right, a full reddish brown hue. He was so pleased with his work that he sat there and admired it, completely forgetting about the third image. Finally he smelled it burning, but by the time he could rescue it from the oven it had already been burnt, and it came out completely black! OK, lets see food preferences. Food preferences are perhaps the most familiar aspect of ethnocentrism. Every culture has developed preferences for certain kinds of food and drink, and equally strong negative attitudes toward others. Now, can anyone of you give us an example? Student A As far as I know, in Southeast Asia, the majority of adults do not drink milk, and in China, dog meat is a delicacy. Professor Well, what if in American culture? Student B Of course, to many Americans, its inconceivable that people in other parts of the world do not drink milk, and eating a dog is enough to make most Americans feel sick. Professor Thats it. Certain food preferences also seem natural to us. We usually do not recognize that theyre natural only because we have grown up with them; theyre quite likely to be unnatural to someone from a different culture. And it is interesting to note that much of ethnocentrism is in our heads and not in our tongues, for something can taste delicious until we are told what it is. Now get ready to answer the questions. You may use your notes to help you answer. 24. What is the talk mainly about? 25. According to the professor, what does an ethnocentric person tend to believe? Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question. Professor Both terms, Eskimo and Inuit, are equally ethnocentric—one as an observation about differences, the other as a self-evaluation. However, Inuit is now seen as a more appropriate term because of its origin. 26. Why does the professor say that the term Inuit is more appropriate than Eskimo? 27. According to the Cherokee Indians, who was first created by the Creator? 28. According to the talk, which of the following are true about food preferences? Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question. Professor However, as anthropologists who study other cultures, it is something we should constantly be aware of, so that when were tempted to make value judgments about another way of life, we can look at the situation objectively and take our bias into account. 29. What can be inferred about the professors attitude toward ethnocentrism?Narrator Listen to part of a talk in an anthropology class. Now get ready to answer the questions. You may use your notes to help you answer.

What is the talk mainly about?

A．Culture shock.

B．Ethnocentrism.

C．Myths and folktales.

D．Food preferences.

Why some people are for the minimum wage?

Why is it considered strange that there are so many shy people?

A．Because it is considered by psychologists to be an undesirable trait.

B．Because it is not a trait associated with social animals.

C．Because our ancestors were not shy, so we should be like them.

D．Because shy people could not have survived in early human society.

Questions are based on the following passage．

Young people always suffer in recessions. Employers stop （1） them; and theyoften get rid of new recruits because they are easier to sack. But during the （2） recessionsin the 1970s，1980s， and 1990s， older workers also got fired. This time is different. Duringthe financial crisis in 2008， and since， older people have done better than other age groups.

The researchers （3 ）on movements in "non-employment" as a share of the totalpopulation in three age groups between the final quarters of 2007 and 2012. Whereas theaverage non-employment rate in the OECD （ 经济合作与发展组织） countries has risenby （4）% among young people and by 1.5% among 25- to 54-year-olds， it has 4 by 2%among the 55-64 age group.

Why have older employees done so well? Maybe the job protection mechanismhas played its role， but what has really changed is that firms now （5 ）the full costs ofgetting rid of older staff.

Nowadays， older workers are healthier than they used to be and work isless（6）demanding.

They are also more（ 7） to employers than prior generations for they have receivedbetter education.

Old workers now also have a sharper （8） to stay in employment because ofthe impact of the crisis on wealth. Many will argue that older workers have done betterat the（9） of the young. This is wrongheaded （ 执迷不悟的 ） . First， it is a false beliefthat a job gained for one person is a job lost for another. Second， young and old people areby and large not substitute in the workplace. They do different types of work in different typesof（10）. There are plenty of things that can help the young jobless， but shunting （ 避开 ）older workers out of the workplace is not one of them.

A．attractive

B．bear

C．charge

D．energetically

E．Expense

F．Fallen

G．Focus

H．Hiring

I．Incentive

J．Occupation

K．Physically

L．Previous

M．Productive

N．profitably

O．Sector

第1题应选（ ） 查看材料

Why are people unable to see clearly even in daytime in New York?

With shops overstocked with food, why are people buying less of it?

Why are ethical rules more difficult to apply today?

A．Because business is no longer a matter of interpersonal act.

B．Because the movement of capital has become the result of all activities.

C．Because people are not knowledgeable enough to make sensible judgment.

D．Because making profits has become dominant in doing all businesses.

听力原文：Why are you always working late?

(A) I am sure she has a big presentation tomorrow.

(B) Because I start later in the morning.

(C) I need to take a holiday.

(19)

A．

B．

C．

According to the passage, why are people more likely to tell the truth through certain media of communication?

A) They are afraid of leaving behind traces of their lies.

B) They believe that honesty is the best policy.

C) They tend to be relaxed when using those media.

D) They are most practised at those forms of communication.