TASK 6. (4 points)
Read the text. For questions 6.1.-6.4., choose the appropriate paragraph and write
the corresponding letter (A-E) in the table. One paragraph does not match any of the
questions.
In which paragraph does the author
Answer
6.1.
outline the developmental nature of diversity?
6.2.
make a link between the diversity of a country’s population and the system
of its leadership?
6.3.
anticipate an extreme preventive measure taken by the authorities?
6.4.
mention a cross-cultural dissonance resulting from different backgrounds?
THE CULTURE OF BEING RUDE
A. When I first moved to New England from Michigan, I said ‘hi’ to everyone. Eventually
though, I started to notice that such cordialities were not always returned. Sometimes I
got a stare. It was a kind of squirrel-faced wondering about whether I wasn’t from
‘around here’ or was just slow. This made me think that cultures differ in all sorts of ways
People celebrate these differences but also wage wars about them. Usually such variety is
attributed to the vagaries of history and chance. Some things, like differences in religious
expression, simply seem beyond the realm of explanation.
B. Recently a group of biologists has offered a theory that might explain why our cultures
vary so considerably. In a series of high-profile papers they argue that one particular
factor, disease, ultimately determines much of how we behave. Their theory is simple.
Where diseases are common, individuals are mean to strangers. Strangers may carry new
diseases and so one would do best to avoid them. When people avoid strangers - those
outside the tribe - communication among tribes breaks down. That breakdown allows
people, through time, to become more different.
C. Scientists go even further. Where people are more xenophobic and cultures more
differentiated from one another, wars are more probable. Democratic governments are
less likely because the tribe or group comes first. The nation and individuals in other
tribes within the nation come second. Hostility between groups inevitably leads to abuse
of power, negligence and poverty. And the single factor that triggered this cascade in the
first place is disease.
D. Could the prevalence of disease really impact people’s actions so completely and
consistently? When swine flu H1N1 emerged in 2009 some people started shaking hands
less and wearing masks - all because of the risk of getting infected. In such situations,
suddenly it seems that we have less control of who we are and how we act than we might
like to think. We are like small boats, pushed and pulled by the tides of disease.
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E. Researchers have yet to find conclusive evidence on this issue. In the meantime, we can
go on imagining that we are making independent decisions. But when the flu comes back
this fall, watch your neighbors. If the researchers are right, hands once extended freely
will search for pockets as people become more wary of strangers. We may well observe
the exacerbation of actions at an international level as governments consider shutting their
borders to protect their citizens. While it is very hard to predict the evolution of a virus,
the changes in our own behavior may be more foreseeable.
adapted from www.smithsonianmag.com
TRANSFER YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET!
'The Culture of Being Rude', paragraph matching. 6.1 'outline the developmental nature of diversity' -> B: 'communication among tribes breaks down. That breakdown allows people, through time, to become more different.' 6.2 'link between diversity of a country's population and the system of its leadership' -> C: 'Democratic governments are less likely because the tribe or group comes first.' 6.3 'anticipate an extreme preventive measure taken by the authorities' -> E: 'governments consider shutting their borders to protect their citizens.' 6.4 'mention a cross-cultural dissonance resulting from different backgrounds' -> A: the author's own experience moving from Michigan to New England, greetings not being returned. Unused: D (the swine-flu hand-shaking/mask example).
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