Sheet music or printed music, too, is material culture. Scholars once defined folk music-cultures as those in which people learn and sing music by ear rather than from print, but research shows mutual influence among oral and written sources during the past few centuries in Europe, Britain, and America. Printed versions limit variety because they tend to standardize any song, yet they stimulate people to create new and different songs. Besides, the ability to read music notation (乐谱) has a far-reaching effect on musicians and, when it becomes widespread, on the music-culture as a whole.
One more important part of music's material culture should be singled out: the influence of the electronic media--radio, record player, tape recorder, television, and videocassette recorder, with the future promising talking and singing computers and other developments. This is all part of the "information revolution'', a twentieth century phenomenon as important as the industrial revolution was in the nineteenth. These electronic media are not just limited to modern nations, they have affected music-cultures all over the globe.
Research into the material culture of a nation is of great importance because ______.
A. it helps produce new cultural tools and technology
B. it can reflect the development of the nation
C. it helps understand the nation's past and present
D. it can demonstrate the nation's civilization
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The first is the success of antivivisection campaigners in lampooning animal research as outdated, intentionally cruel, "bad" science, which achieves nothing. All drugs and procedures developed with the help of animal tests are said to be dangerous. The occasional failure of animal testing to identify a dangerous drug is developed as an argument for abandoning safety tests involving animals altogether--with no mention of the terrible human suffering that this would cause. They say that "alternative" methods already exist for all animal experiments, but the fact is that the law specifically forbids animal use if there is any alternative.
The second reason is that scientists and doctors have failed to oppose such misrepresentation. In the early 1990s, animal rights campaigning in the US was met with much more forthright defense, not only by the major scientific societies, funding agencies and medical organizations, but also by the US government.
To be positive, there are many encouraging features of the New Scientist poll. Interestingly, the public seems to employ the same kind of utilitarian philosophy that underpins the law in Britain--weighing potential benefits against the species involved (thus, monkeys are more "valuable" than mice) and the likelihood of suffering.
Clearly, people in Britain do not recognize the essential link between animal research and testing and the medical treatments that they receive. Only 18 percent of those who had taken (or had a close family member who had taken a drug prescribed for a serious illness realized that the drug had been tested on animals, as all drugs are. Obviously, a large majority of those surveyed believe that they can happily benefit from medical treatment without taking advantage of animal research. No wonder so many people oppose it when asked the straight yes/no question.
The views of the public must be respected. But this poll tells us that, while they are open to persuasion, their reaction is based on misunderstanding. The responsibility for providing honest evidence for the public lies not just with those who use animals in their research, but with other scientists who depend on that work. It lies with the doctors who benefit from animal research, with the pharmaceuticals and biotech industries, and the medical charities and funding age, les whose work would be crippled without it. But most of all, responsibility rests with government, which should cultivate serious and transparent debate between those of different opinion, and provide the public--especially young people--with the honest evidence they need and deserve.
In the first sentence of Paragraph 3, "such misrepresentation" refers to ______.
A. the idea that other methods can be substituted for animal research
B. the claim that animal experiment is intentionally cruel
C. the belief that all drugs developed with animal tests are dangerous
D. the fact that scientists and medical organizations support animal experimentation
The huge scandal of cheating in TV games shows was not exposed until 40 years later in the
A. Right
B. Wrong
C. Not mentioned
Feast On Turkey and Good Wishes at Thanksgiving
Four weeks ago US children dressed as monsters and asked for sweets. That was Halloween. In a few weeks American houses will be red and green and filled with presents for Christmas.
As if all this isn't enough, on Thursday this week, America will enjoy another festival—Thanksgiving. Children will have two days off school, shops will close and houses will be filled with families enjoying mountains of food. Every year, in Gainesville, Florida, all entire class celebrates Thanksgiving together. The class dresses up and puts on plays for their families. After the plays the families share a feast of traditional Thanksgiving foods like turkey and pumpkin pie.
Dean Foster, an 11-year-old boy will take part in this celebration. He said: "I love Thanksgiving because it means time off school, lots of nice food and a happy family. "His brother Ben, nine, said : "The best thing about Thanksgiving, is that when it is finished, it is time to start Christmas. "
But behind the food and the large amount of money spent there is another message. On Thursday evening, Dean and Ben's family will make a basket and put it on the table as they eat their evening meal. Each of them will write a list of things that they are thankful for and place the paper in the basket. The family will read the pieces of paper and take time to thank God and each other for providing them with comfortable and happy lives.
Thanksgiving is a traditional festival that started in 1621, when the first pilgrims arrived in the US to start new lire. After a hard year, they had a big autumn harvest. They held a feast and invited the native American Indians along to thank God for giving them enough food.
Many countries celebrate Thanksgiving. They often fall after the fields have been harvested and the crops collected for winter.
On Halloween, children in the United States often dress up as ______.
A. ghosts
B. players
C. pilgrims
D. visitors
According to the author how to correct the situation?
A. Only some animals should be used for research.
B. Scientists and doctors should respect the views of the publi
C. The benefits of animal tests should be made widely known.
D. The debate on animal tests be put to s serious public poll.