英语六级阅读理解基础练习及答案
As soon as colonizers and explorers began taking cameras into distant lands, stories began circulating about how indigenous peoples saw them as tools for black magic. The "ignorant natives" may have had a point. When photography first became available, scientists welcomed it as a more objective way of recording faraway societies than early travelers' exaggerated accounts. But in some ways, anthropological photographs reveal more about the culture that holds the camera than the one that stares back. Up into the 1950s and 1960s, many ethnographers sought "pure" pictures of "primitive" cultures, routinely deleting modern accoutrements such as clocks and Western dress. They paid men and women to re-enact rituals or to pose as members of war or hunting parties, often with little regard for veracity. Edward Curtis, the legendary photographer of North American Indians, for example, got one Makah man to pose as a whaler with a spear in 1915--even though the Makah had not hunted whales in a generation.
These photographs reinforced widely accepted stereotypes that indigenous cultures were isolated, primitive, and unchanging. For instance, National Geographic magazine's photographs have taught millions of Americans about other cultures. As Catherine Lutz and Jane Collins point out in their 1993 book Reading National Geographic, the magazine since its founding in 1888 has kept a tradition of presenting beautiful photos that don't challenge white, middle-class American conventions. While dark-skinned women can be shown without tops, for example, white women's breasts are taboo. Photos that could unsettle or disturb, such as areas of the world torn asunder by war or famine, are discarded in favor of those that reassure, to conform with the society's stated pledge to present only "kindly" visions of foreign societies. The result, Lutz and Collins say, is the depiction of "an idealized and exotic world relatively free of pain or class conflict."
Lutz actually likes National Geographic a lot. She read the magazine as a child, and its lush imagery influenced her eventual choice of anthropology as a career. She just thinks that as people look at the photographs of other cultures, they should be alert to the choice of composition and images.
1. The main idea of the passage is ______________.
[A] Photographs taken by Western explorers reflect more Westerners’ perception of the indigenous cultures and the Western values.
[B] There is a complicated relationship between the Western explorers and the primitive peoples.
[C] Popular magazines such as National Geographic should show pictures of the exotic and idealized worlds to maintain high sales.
[D] Anthropologists ask the natives to pose for their pictures, compromising the truthfulness of their pictures.
2. We can infer from the passage that early travelers to the native lands often _________.
[A] took pictures with the natives
[B] gave exaggerated accounts of the native lands
[C] ask for pictures from the natives
[D] gave the natives clocks and Western dresses
3. The author mentions the movie Lawrence of Arabia to ___________.
[A] show how people in the indigenous societies are portrayed by Westerners.
[B] illustrate how people from primitive societies see cameras as tools of black magic that steal their virtues.
[C] show how anthropologists portray untruthful pictures of native people.
[D] show the cruel and barbarian side of the native people.
4. “But in some ways, anthropological photographs reveal more about the culture that holds the camera than the one that stares back.” In this sentence, the “one [culture] that stares back” refers to _______.
[A] the indigenous culture
[B] the Western culture
[C] the academic culture
[D] the news business culture
5. With which of the following statements would Cat
herine Lutz most probably agree?
[A] Reporters from the Western societies should routinely delete modern elements in pictures taken of the indigenous societies.
[B] The primitive cultures are inferior to the more advanced Western culture.
[C] The western media are not presenting a realistic picture of the faraway societies.
[D] People in the Western news business should try not to challenge the well-established white middle-class values.
答案及解析
1. 答案是[A] Photographs taken by Western explorers reflect more Westerners’ perception of the indigenous cultures and the Western values.
解析：本文的主题是，西方的媒体，为了迎合西方读者猎奇的心理，同时，为了不与西方读者的中产阶级价值观发生冲突，在他们拍摄的照片中，并不是真正客观公正地反映经济发展水平较为落后的社会中人们的生活。他们经常有意删除照片中反映西方文明烙印的成分，甚至摆布照片中的主人公，以描绘出一个西方读者想象中的，经济不发达的，有异域风情的，没有痛苦和阶级斗争的经济落后社会的画面。他们甚至避免刊登那些反映饥荒，战争，灾害的照片，以满足西方媒体“只刊登外国社会美好一面的照片”的默契。
2. 答案是[B] gave exaggerated accounts of the native lands
解析：文章第二段说，When photography first became available, scientists welcomed it as a more objective way of recording faraway societies than early travelers' exaggerated accounts.可见早期到原始社会旅行回来的人往往对当地的情况夸大其词。在照相机发明之后，科学家能更好地客观反映那些远方地区的真实情况。
3. 答案是[B] illustrate how people from primitive societies see cameras as tools of black magic that steal their virtues.
解析：文章的第一段介绍的是著名的1962年获得7项奥斯卡大奖的电影《阿拉伯的劳伦斯》(导演：DAVID LEAN)中的一个片段。该电影本来与作者要讲的题目并无直接关系。作者仅仅通过一个电影中描述的场景来说明一个论点。那就是比较原始，开化较晚的社会，那里的人们对现代的文明，和从没见过的现代文明的产物容易产生误解。电影中的土著抢走了LAWRENCE的照相机，因为他怀疑，那从未见过的玩意儿会偷走他的“美好品德(VIRTUE)”。但是，作者在下文说，那些土著居民的担心并非全无道理。因为西方的记者和学者们，为了描绘一个西方人心目中固有的土著社会(或者经济发展欠发达社会)的形象，故意篡改照片，满足西方读者的好奇心，并且有意迎合西方中产阶级的趣味。在短文中，作者有时候并不开宗明义，直奔主题，而是利用人们都熟悉的文化元素，例如诗歌，书籍，电影，歌曲等，引起读者对其讨论话题的兴趣，然后再引入主题。并不是每一篇文章都会开门见山，读者不应该把每篇文章的首尾句都当成对文章大意的总结。
4. 答案是[A] the indigenous culture
解析：But in some ways, anthropological photographs reveal more about the culture that holds the camera than the one that stares back.本句是文章切入主题的重点句。考生应该格外注意在阅读文章靠前部分出现的，以转折词(例如，HOWEVER， BUT，NEVERTHELESS， NONETHELESS等)开头的句子。那往往是作者叙述传统论点，或者普遍看法的关键地方。本句可以理解为：但是，在某些方面，人类学家拍摄的照片展现的与其说是那个盯视着照相机的(被拍摄的)文化，不如说是反映了拿着照相机的(西方)文化。作者暗示，照片反映了西方摄影者的偏见和对落后文化固有的看法，反映的是西方的价值观，并不是完全真实客观的那些不发达社会的写照。这句话基本上是对文章中心意思的总结。如果对文章的主题有大致的认识，就不会将本题选错。
5. 答案是[C] The western media are not presenting a realistic picture of the faraway societies.
解析：Catherine Lutz是文章中提到的1993年出版的READING NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC的作者之一。她们在书中写道，《国家地理》杂志自从1888年创刊以来，就一直刊登那些不和美国中产阶级白人的价值观发生冲突的照片。照片中可以表现袒露胸部的黑色皮肤的妇女，但是白人妇女的胸部就是禁止刊登的对象。她们认为，这样做的后果就是，在那些西方主流杂志中展现的，似乎是相对而言没有痛苦的，也不存在阶级斗争的社会。因此答案C The western media are not presenting a realistic picture of the faraway societies(西方媒体并没有展现落后地区的真实画面)最能表现该作者的观点。