Text 2 In studying both the recurrence of special habits or ideas in several districts, a

Text2Instudyingboththerecurrenceofspecialhabitsorideasinseveraldistr icts,andtheirprevalencewithineachdistr ict,therecomebeforeusever-reiteratedproofsofregularcausationproducingthephenomenaofhumanlife,andoflawsofmaintenanceanddiffusionconditionsofsociety,atd efinitestagesofculture.But,whilegivingfullimportancetotheevidencebearingonthesestandardconditionsofsociety,letusbecarefultoavoidapitfallwhichmayentr aptheunwarystudent.Ofcourse,theopinionsandhabitsbelongingincommontomassesofmankindaretoagreatextenttheresultsofsoundjudgmentandpracticalwisdom.Buttoagreatextentitisnotso.

Thatmanynumeroussocietiesofmenshouldhavebelievedintheinfluenceoftheevileyeandtheexistenceofafirmament,shouldhavesacrificedslavesandgoodstotheghostsofthedeparted,shouldhavehandeddowntr aditionsofgiantsslayingmonstersandmenturningintobeasts—allthisisgroundforholdingthatsuchideaswereindeedproducedinmen’smindsbyefficientcauses,butitisnotgroundforholdingthattheritesinquestionareprofitable ,thebeliefssound,andthehistoryauthentic.Thismayseematthefirstglanceatr uism,but,infact,itisthedenialofafallacywhichdeeplyaffectsthemindsofallbutasmallcriticalminorityofmankind.Popularly,whateverybodysaysmustbetr ue,whateverybodydoesmustberight.

Therearevarioustopics,especiallyinhistory,law,philosophy,andtheology,whereeventheeducatedpeopleweliveamongcanhardlybebroughttoseethatthecausewhymendoholdanopinion,orpractiseacustom,isbynomeansnecessarilyareasonwhytheyoughttodoso.Nowcollectionsofethnographicevidence,bringingsoprominentlyintoviewtheagreementofimmensemultitudesofmenastocertaintr aditions,beliefs,andusages,arepeculiarlyliabletobethusimproperlyusedindirectd efenseoftheseinstitutionsthemselves,evenoldbarbaricnationsbeingpolledtomaintaintheiropinionsagainstwhatarecalledmodernideas.

Asithasmorethanoncehappenedtomyselftofindmycollectionsoftr aditionsandbeliefsthussetuptoprovetheirownobjectivetr uth,withoutproperexaminationofthegroundsonwhichtheywereactuallyreceived,Itakethisoccasionofremarkingthatthesamelineofargumentwillserveequallywelltodemonstr ate,bythestr ongandwideconsentofnations,thattheearthisflat,andnight-marethevisitofademon.

第26题：1.Theauthor’sattitudetowardsthephenomenamentionedatthebeginningofthetextisoneof_____.

［A］skepticism

［B］approval

［C］indifference

［D］disgust

本题考查作者态度。可先将［C］项排除，因为既然作者用大量笔墨和精力来描写说明此现象，就证明了作者对于这一现象持的基本态度是关注而不是漠不关心。文章开头部分的ever-reiteratedproofs，definite等词可能会误导考生选择［B］项，应注意在这些表示肯定的词语后面有一个关键的转折连词but。一般情况下，如果首段出现转折性连词，那么转折连词后面的内容才是作者强调的部分。作者转折指出：在充分强调和这些社会标准条件相关的（bearingon）证据时，我们必须小心谨慎，避免陷入常常误导粗心大意的学生的陷井（entr aptheunwarystudent）。接下来出现了以ofcourse为标志的让步表达：诚然，属于大多数人所共有的观念和习惯在很大程度上是合理的判断和实践智慧的结果。但该段末句再次出现but转折指出：但是在很大程度上，情况并非如此。依据该段中的逻辑标志词，可判断出作者对此现象并不持完全赞同的观点，排除［B］项。［D］项是具有明显的情感色彩的词语，而文中作者表达观点的方式非常隐晦，力求客观。［A］项为正确答案。