Passage Two
从文化和文明的字面意义,延伸出它们各自的起源和相互关系以及各自特征。它们都起源于拉丁文,这两个单词的结合精确地揭示了人类发展的进程。
Both civilization and culture are fairly modern words, having come into prominent use during the 19th century by anthropologists(人类学家), historians, and literary figures. There has been a strong tendency to use them interchangeably as though they mean the same thing, but they are not the same.
Although modern in their usage, the two words derived from ancient Latin. The word civilization is based on the Latin civis, of a city. ①Thus civilization, in its most essential meaning, is the ability of people to live together harmoniously in cities, in social groupings.② From this definition it would seem that certain insects, such as ants or bees, are also civilized. They live and work together in social groups. So do some microorganisms. But there is more to civilization, and that is what culture brings to it. So, civilization is inseparable from culture.
The word culture is derived from the Latin verb colere, till the soil.③ But colere also has a wider range of meanings. It may, like civis, mean inhabiting a town or village. But most of its definitions suggest a process of starting and promoting growth and development. One may cultivate a garden; one may also cultivate one’s interests, mind, and abilities. In its modern use the word culture refers to all the positive aspects and achievements of humanity that make mankind different from the rest of the animal world. Culture has grown out of creativity, a characteristic that seems to be unique to human beings.
One of the basic and best-know features of civilization and culture is the presence of tools. But more important than their simple existence is that the tools are always being improved and enlarged upon, a result of creativity. ④It took thousands of years to get from the first wheel to the latest, most advanced model of automobile.
It is the concept of humans as toolmakers and improvers that differentiates them from other animals. A monkey may use a stick to knock a banana from a tree, but that stick will never, through a monkey’s cleverness, be modified into a hook or a ladder.⑤ Monkeys have never devised a spoken language, written a book, composed a melody, built a house, or painted a portrait. To say that birds build nests and beavers(海狸)their dens is to miss the point. People once lived in caves, but their cleverness, imagination, and creativity led them to progress beyond caves to buildings.
Notes：
①civilization一词来源于拉丁语civis，是“城市，城市化”的意思。
②这样，“文明”这一单词最基本的意思是人们在城市，和社会群体中和谐共存的能力。
③ 文化一词来源于拉丁语“colere”，意思是耕作土地。
④但比单纯应用工具更重要的是人类在不断改进工具和扩展工具，这是人类创造力不断发展的结果。
⑤猴子可以用木棍从树上打下香蕉，但是猴子用尽全部智慧也无法把这根木棍改造成钩子或梯子。
36. What does the author think of the words “civilization” and “culture”?
A. They are identical.
B. They are different concepts.
C. They can often be used interchangeably.
D. They are defined differently by different people.
37. According to the author the word “civilization” originally refers to .
A. people’s way of life in cities
B. people’s ability to live together in cities
C. a type of social organizations
D. an advanced level of social life
38. The Latin verb colere originally means “ ”.
A. live in a city
B. develop oneself
C. promote growth
D. cultivate the land
39. The author believes that creativity .
A. is a unique feature of civilized beings
B. brings forth the improvement of tools
C. is the result of human development
D. helps the advance of culture
40. The author mentions monkeys in the last paragraph to show that .
A. monkeys are the same as birds
B. people once lived in caves like monkeys
C. monkeys can never develop into human beings
D. man is different from other animals such as monkeys
答案:BBDBD
