题文
One important variable affecting communication across cultures is destiny (命运) and personal responsibility. This refers to the degree to which we feel ourselves the masters of our lives, contrary to the degree to which we see ourselves as subject to things outside our control. Another way to look at this is to ask how much we see ourselves able to change and act, to choose the course of our lives and relationships. Some have drawn a parallel between the personal responsibility in North American settings and the view itself. The North American view is vast, with large spaces of unpopulated land. The frontier attitude of “King” of the wilderness, and the expansiveness of the land reaching huge distances, may relate to generally high levels of confidence in the ability to shape and choose our destinies.In this expansive land, many children grow up with a heroic sense of life, where ideas are big, and hope springs forever. When they experience temporary failures, they are encouraged to redouble their efforts, to “Try, try again.” Action, efficiency, and achievement are valued and expected. Free will is respected in laws and enforced by courts.
Now consider places in the world with much smaller land, whose history reflects wars and tough struggles: Northern Ireland, Mexico, Israel, Palestine. In these places, destiny’s role is more important in human life. In Mexico, there is a history of hard life, fighting over land, and loss of homes. Mexicans are more likely to see struggles as part of their life and unavoidable. Their passive attitude is expressed in their way of responding to failure or an accident by saying “ni modo” (“no way” or “tough lick”), meaning that the failure was destined.
This variable is important to understanding cultural conflicts. If someone believing in free will crosses paths with someone more passive, miscommunication is likely. The first person may expect action and responsibility. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the second is lazy, not cooperative, or dishonest. The second person will expect respect for the natural order of things. Failing to see it, he may conclude that the first is forcible, rude, or big headed in his ideas of what can be accomplished or changed.
小题1:The author thinks that one’s character is partly determined by ________.A．physical sensesB．general attitudeC．financial backgroundD．geographic characteristics小题2:According to the passage, Mexicans would think that Americans are ________.A．impracticalB．dishonestC．ambitiousD．hesitant小题3:The underlined word “subject” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________.A．a topic of a discussionB．a branch of knowledgeC．a person being experimented onD．a person under the power of others小题4:The author would probably agree that ________.A．vast land may lead to a more controllable desireB．heroic sense of life roots deeply in a small countryC．living in limited space contributes to an accepting attitudeD．fighting over land helps people gain high levels of confidence 题型：未知 难度：其他题型
答案
小题1:D
小题2:A
小题3:D
小题4:C
解析
本文主要讲述的就是一个国家的地域大小对人的性格的影响，国家疆域较大的国家的人往往思路开阔，疆域较小的国家的人往往思路较为狭窄，不容易接受新鲜事物。
小题1:D 推理题。根据第一段后五行Some have drawn a parallel between the personal responsibility in North American settings and the view itself. The North American view is vast, with large spaces of unpopulated land. The frontier attitude of “King” of the wilderness, and the expansiveness of the land reaching huge distances, may relate to generally high levels of confidence in the ability to shape and choose our destinies.说明作者把人的性格和他们所在的地区的大小联系在一起了，故D项正确。
小题2:A 推理题。根据第三段3,4行In Mexico, there is a history of hard life, fighting over land, and loss of homes. Mexicans are more likely to see struggles as part of their life and unavoidable.说明墨西哥人在有困难的历史，他们会把斗争作为生活中不能避免的一部分。而美国人的思想是很开放的，在墨西哥人看来，很美国人的想法是不实际的。故A正确。
小题3:D 推理题。根据本句This refers to the degree to which we feel ourselves the masters of our lives, contrary to the degree to which we see ourselves as subject to things outside our control.说明subject to things outside our control与the masters of our lives是反义词。故该词是指接受命运和他人安排的人。故D项正确。
4.C 推理题。本文主要讲述的就是一个国家的地域大小对人的性格的影响，国家疆域较大的国家的人往往思路开阔，疆域较小的国家的人往往思路较为狭窄，不容易接受新鲜事物。故C项表达与文章较为吻合。
点评：本文主要讲述的就是一个国家的地域大小对人的性格的影响，国家疆域较大的国家的人往往思路开阔，疆域较小的国家的人往往思路较为狭窄，不容易接受新鲜事物。以推理题的考查为主，解此类题需要结合上下文提供的语境和信息进行简单的概括和判断。
考点
据考高分专家说，试题“One important variab.....”主要考查你对 [政治经济类阅读 ]考点的理解。政治经济类阅读
政治经济类文章的概念：
要做好这类阅读，平时就要注意了解国内外发生的政治经济大事，掌握一定背景知识，对这类文章的叙述特点及内容安排有一定了解，还要扩展这方面的词汇。阅读这类文章，要抓住文章的核心，即文章整体和各段主要在说什么，也要注意段落之间的逻辑关系。
如何备考政治经济类阅读理解题：
【题型说明】政治经济类阅读文章是高考常选材料之一。该类文章时代气息浓郁，语言鲜活，但熟字新义词、超纲词及专业词语多，长句、难句多。政治类文章大多数是同学们感性趣的内容，读起来倒有似曾相识的感觉，经济类文章读起来就像是雾里看花，文章看完，一头雾水。再加之这类文章的命题侧重于词义猜测、推理判断和文章主旨，同学们对这类题材是望而生畏。
【备考策略】建立心理优势。针对不同体裁的文章，我们要采取相应的阅读方法和技巧。政治类文章多采用记叙文形式，我们可采取“顺读法”，以便抓关键语句，领会文章主旨；而经济类文章则多采用说明文形式，我们则可以采取“逆读法”，先读试题，再从文章中查找有用信息。若遇到的确难读的材料。千万不用着急，因为你觉得难，其他人也一定是同感。在高考前，我们就要有这种心理准备，高考试卷肯定有一、两篇难以阅读的材料。不过，我们平时可以有意识地从报刊杂志上找一些较难的阅读材料来阅读，以培养自己迎难而上的心理素质。
【答题方法】
1、寻找主干：
根据英语中五种基本句型结构，把句子中的主语、谓语、宾语、表语等主要成分找出来，其他成分如定语、状语、补语等则易于理解。找到了句子主干，句子的意思至少明白了一半。
2、剔除从句：
在一个长句中可能会出现若干个从句，在理解时，如果把各个从句剔除出来单独理解，然后把大意拼凑起来，整个长句的意思就会明白六、七分。
3、辨别分句：
一个长句如果是由几个并列、转折、递进、对比关系的分句组成，句中往往有表示这些分句关系的连接词，只要能弄清楚分句和分句之间的逻辑关系，再把各层分句的意思加以连贯，整个长句的句意基本上能跃然脑中。
4、寻找关键词：
如果一个句子看完，一点句意的感觉也没有，下下策就是抓住句中的关键词，通过关键词大体弄懂这个长句的意思。
