2024年考研英语一真题原文及答案解析

2024年考研英语一真题原文及答案解析完整版

SectionIUseofEnglish

Directions:

Readthefollowingtext.Choosethebestword(s)foreachnumberedblankandmarkA,B,C

orDonANSWERSHEET1.(10points)

Readthefollowingtext.Choosethebestword(s)foreachnumberedblankandmarkA.B.C

orDonANSWERSHEET1.(10points)

Theethicaljudgmentsof(heSupremeCourtjusticeshavebecomeanimportantissue

recently.Thecourtcannot_1_itslegitimacyasguardianoftheruleoflaw_2_justicesbehave

likepoliticians.Yet,inseveralinstances,justicesactedinwaysthat_3_thecourt'sreputationfbr

beingindependentandimpartial.

JusticeAntoninScalia,forexample,appearedatpoliticalevents.Thatkindofactivitymakes

itlesslikelythatthecourt'sdecisionswillbe_4_asimpartialjudgments.Partoftheproblemis

thatthejusticesarenot_5_byanethicscode.Attheveryleast,thecourtshouldmakeitself_6_to

thecodeofconductthat_7_totherestofthefederaljudiciary.

Thisandothersimilarcases_8_thequestionofwhetherthereisstilla_9_betweenthecourt

andpolitics.

TheframersoftheConstitutionenvisionedlaw_10_havingauthorityapartfrompolitics.

Theygavejusticespermanentpositions_1l_theywouldbefreeto_12_thoseinpowerandhave

noneedto_13_politicalsupport.Ourlegalsystemwasdesignedtosetlawapartfrompolitics

preciselybecausetheyaresoclosely_14_.

Constitutionallawispoliticalbecauseitresultsfromchoicesrootedinfundamentalsocial

_15_likelibertyandproperty.Whenthecourtdealswithsocialpolicydecisions,thelawit_I6_

isinescapablypolitical-whichiswhydecisionssplitalongideologicallinesaresoeasily_17_as

unjust.

Thejusticesmust_18_doubtsaboutthecourt'slegitimacybymakingthemselves_19_to

thecodeofconduct.Thatwouldmakerulingsmorelikelytobeseenasseparatefrompoliticsand,

_20_,convincingaslaw.

1.[A]emphasize[B]maintain[C]modify[D]recognize

2.fA]when[B]lest[CJbefbre[D]unless

3.[A]restored[B]weakcncd[C]established[D]eliminated

4.[A[challenged[B[compromised[Cjsuspected|D]accepted

5.[AJadvanced[BJcaught[CJboundIDJfounded

6.[A]resistant[B]subject[C]immuneIDJprone

7.[A]resorts[B]sticks[C]loads[D]叩plies

8.[AJcvadc|Bjraisc[Cjdcny|D]scttlc

9.[AJline[BJbarrier[CJsimilarity[DJconflict

10.[A]by[B]as[C]though[Dltowards

11.[A]so|B]since[Cprovided[D]though

12.[AJscrvc[B]satisfy[CJupsct[Djrcplacc

13.[A]confirm[B|express[CJcukivate[DJoffer

14.[Alguarded[BifollowedfC]studied[D]ded

15.[A]concepts[B]theories[C]divis沁ns[D]conceptions

16.[AJcxcludes[BJqLestionsICJshapcs[DJcontrols

17.[Ajdismissed[B]released[C]ranked[D]distorted

18.[A]suppress[Blexploit[C]address[D]ignore

19.[A]accessible[B]amiable[C]agreeable|Djaccountable

20.[A]byallmcsns[BJatallcosts[C]inaword[D]asaresult

SectionIIReadingComprehension

PartA

Directions:

Readthefollowingfourtexts.AnswerthequestionsbeloweachtextbychoosingA,B,Cor

D.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEETI.(40points)

Text1

Comeon-Everybody'sdoingit.Thatwhisperedmessage,halfinvitationandhalfforcing,is

whatmostofusthinkofwhenwehearthewordspeerpressure.Itusuallyleadstono

good-drinking,drugsandcasualsex.ButinhernewbookJointheClub,TinaRosenbergcontends

thatpeerpressurecanalsobeapositiveforcethroughwhatshecallsthesocialcure,inwhich

organizationsandofficialsusethepowerofgroupdynamicstohelpindividualsimprovetheir

livesandpossiblytheword.

Rosenberg,therecipientofaPulitzerPrize,offersahostofexampleofthesocialcurein

action:InSouthCarolina,astate-sponsoredantismokingprogramcalledRageAgainsttheHaze

setsouttomakecigarettesuncool.InSouthAfrica,anHIV-preventioninitiativeknownas

LoveLiferecruitsyoungpeopletopromotesafesexamongtheirpeers.

Theideaseemspromising,andRosenbergisaperceptiveobserver.Hercritiqueofthe

lamenessofmanypubic-healthcampaignsisspot-on:theyfailtomobilizepeerpressurefor

healthyhabits,andtheydemonstrateaseriouslyflawedunderstandingofpsychology."Daretobe

different,pleasedon'tsmoke!”pleadsonebillboardcampaignaimedatreducingsmokingamong

tecnagers-tccnagers,whodesirenothingmorethanfittingin.Rosenbergarguesconvincinglythat

public-healthadvocatesoughttotakeapagefromadvertisers,soskilledatapplyingpeerpressure.

Butonthegeneraleffectivenessofthesocialcure,Rosenbergislesspersuasive.Jointhe

Clubisfilledwithtoomuchirrelevantdetailandnotenoughexplorationofthesocialand

biologicalfactorsthatmakepeerpressuresopowerful.Themostglaringflawofthesocialcureas

it'spresentedhereisthatitdoesn'tworkverywellfbrverylong.RageAgainsttheHazefailed

oncestatefundingwascut.EvidencethattheLoveLifeprogramproduceslastingchangesis

limitedandmixed.

There'snodoubtthatourpeergroupsexertenormousinfluenceonourbehavior.An

emergingbodyofresearchshowsthatpositivehealthhabits-aswellasnegativeones-spread

throughnetworksoffriendsviasocialcommunication.Thisisasubtleformofpeerpressure:wc

unconsciouslyimitatethebehaviorweseeeveryday.

Farlesscertain,however,ishowsuccessfullyexpertsandbureaucratscanselectourpeer

groupsandsteertheiractivitiesinvirtuousdirections.Ifsliketheteacherwhobreaksupthe

troublemakersinthebackrowbypairingthemwithbetter-behavedclassmates.Thetacticnever

reallyworks.Andthat'stheproblemwithasocialcureengineeredfromtheoutside:inthereal

world,asinschool,weinsistonchoosingourownfriends.

21.Accordingtothefirstparagraph,peerpressureoftenemergesas

[A]asupplementtothesocialcure

|B]astimulustogroupdynamics

fC]anobstacletoschoolprogress

[D]acauseofundesirablebehaviors

22.Rosenbergholdsthatpublicadvocatesshould

[A]recruitprofessionaladvertisers

[B]learnfromadvertisers?experience

[C]stayawayfromcommercialadvertisers

[D]recognizethelimitationsofadvertisements

23.Intheauthor'sview,Rosenberg'sbookfailsto

[Ajadequatelyprobesocialandbiologicalfactors

[B]effectivelyevadetheflawsofthesocialcure

(Clillustratethefunctionsofstatefunding

|D]produccalong-lastingsocialeffect

24.Paragraph5showsthatourimitationofbehaviors

(A]isharmfultoournetworksoffriends

fB]willmisleadbehavioralstudies

IC]occurswithoutourrealizingit

[D]canproducenegativehealthhabits

25.Theauthorsuggestsinthelastparagraphthattheeffectofpeerpressureis

[A]harmful

|B]desirable

[C]profound

|D]questionable

SectionIIReadingComprehension

PartA

Directions:

Readthefollowingfourtexts.AnswerthequestionsbeloweachtextbychoosingA,B,Cor

D.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.(40points)

TextI

Conicon-Everybody'sdoingit.Thatwhisperedmessage,halfinvitationandhalfforcing,is

whatmostofusthinkofwhenwehearthewordspeerpressure.Itusuallyleadstono

good-drinking,drugsandcasualsex.ButinhernewbookJointheClub,TinaRosenbergcontends

thatpeerpressurecanalsobeapositiveforcethroughwhatshecallsthesocialcure,inwhich

organizationsandofficialsusethepowerofgroupdynamicstohelpindividualsimprovetheir

livesandpossiblytheword.

Rosenberg,(herecipientofaPulitzerPrize,offersahostofexampleof(hesocialcurein

action:InSouthCarolina,astate-sponsoredantismokingprogramcalledRageAgainsttheHaze

setsout(omakecigarettesuncool.InSouthAfrica,anHIV-prevenlioninitiativeknownas

LoveLifcrecruitsyoungpeopletopromotesafesexamongtheirpeers.

Theideaseemspromising,andRosenbergisaperceptiveobserver.Hercritiqueofthe

lamenessofmanypubic-healthcampaignsisspot-on:theyfailtomobilizepeerpressurefor

healthyhabits,andtheydemonstrateaseriouslyflawedunderstandingofpsychology.^^Darctobe

different,pleasedon'tsmoke!”pleadsonebillboardcampaignaimedatreducingsmokingamong

teenagers-teenagers,whodesirenothingmorethanfittingin.Rosenbergarguesconvincinglythat

public-healthadvocatesoughttotakeapagefromadvertisers,soskilledatapplyingpeerpressure

Butonthegeneraleffectivenessofthesocialcure,Rosenbergislesspersuasive.Jointhe

Clubisfilledwithtoomuchirrelevantdetailandnotenoughexplorationofthesocialand

biologicalfactorsthatmakepeerpressuresopowerful.Themostglaringflawof(hesocialcureas

it'spresentedhereisthatitdoesn'tworkverywellfbrverylong.RageAgainsttheHazefailed

oncestalefundingwascut.EvidencethattheLoveLifeprogramproduceslastingchangesis

limitedandmixed.

There'snodoubtthatourpeergroupsexertenormousinfluenceonourbehavior.An

emergingbodyofresearchshowsthatpositivehealthhabits-aswellasnegativeones-spread

throughnetworksoffriendsviasocialcommunication.Thisisasubtleformofpeerpressure:we

unconsciouslyimitatethebehaviorweseeeveryday.

Farlesscertain,however,ishowsuccessfullyexpertsandbureaucratscanselectourpeer

groupsandsteertheiractivitiesinvirtuousdirections.It'sliketheteacherwhobreaksupthe

(roublemakersinthebackrowbypairingthemwithbetter-behavedclassmates.Thelacticnever

reallyworks.Andthat'stheproblemwithasocialcureengineeredfromtheoutside:inthereal

world,asinschool,weinsistonchoosingourownfriends.

21.Accordingtothefirstparagraph,peerpressureoftenemergesas

[A]asupplementtothesocialcure

|B]astimulustogroupdynamics

[C]anobstacle(oschoolprogress

|D]acauseofundesirablebehaviors

22.Rosenbergholdsthatpublicadvocatesshould

[A]recniitprofessionaladvertisers

[B]learnfromadvertisers'experience

[C]stayawayfromccnunercialadvertisers

[D]recognizethelimitationsofadvertisements

23.Intheauthor'sview,Rosenberg'sbookfailsto

IA]adequatelyprobesocialandbiologicalfactors

[B]effectivelyevadetheflawsofthesocialcure

[C]illustratethefunctionsofstatefunding

[DJproducealong-lastingsocialeffect

24.Paragraph5showsthatourimitationofbehaviors

[A]isharmfultoournetworksoffriends

[B]willmisleadbehavioralstudies

[C]occurswithoutourrealizingit

[D]canproducenegativehealthhabits

25.Theauthorsuggestsinthelastparagraphthattheeffectofpeerpressureis

[A]harmful

[B]desirable

[C]profound

[D]questionable

Text3

Intheidealizedversionofhowscienceisdone,factsabouttheworldarewaitingtobe

observedandcollectedbyobjectiveresearcherswhousethescientificmethodtocarryouttheir

work.Butintheeverydaypracticeofscience,discoveryfrequentlyfollowsanambiguousand

complicatedroute.Weaimtobeobjective,butwecannotescapethecontextofouruniquelife

experience.Priorknowledgeandinterestinfluencewhatweexperience,whatwethinkour

experiencesmean,andthesubsequentactionswetake.Opportunitiesformisinterpretation,error,

andself-deceptionabound.

Consequently,discover}'claimsshouldbethoughtofasprotoscience.Similartonewly

stakedminingclaims,theyarcfullofpotential.Butittakescollectivescrutinyandacceptanceto

transformadiscoveryclaimintoamaturediscovery.Thisisthecredibilityprocess,throughwhich

theindividualresearcher'sinc,here,nowbecomesthecommunity'sanyone,anywhere,anytime.

Objectiveknowledgeis(hegoal,not(hestartingpoint.

Onceadiscoveryclaimbecomespublic,thediscovererreceivesintellectualcredit.But,

unlikewithminingclaims,thecommunitytakescontrolofwhathappensnext.Withinthe

complexsocialstructureofthescientificcoinmunity,researchersmakediscoveries;editorsand

reviewersactasgatekeepersbycontrollingthepublicationprocess;otherscientistsusethenew

findingtosuittheirownpurposes;andfinally,thepublic(includingotherscientists)receivesthe

newdiscoveryandpossiblyaccompanyingtechnology.Asadiscoveryclaimworksitthroughthe

community,theinteractionandconfrontationbetweensharedandcompetingbeliefsaboutthe

scienceandthetechnologyinvolvedtransformsanindividual'sdiscoveryclaimintothe

community'scrediblediscovery.

Twoparadoxesexistthroughoutthiscredibilityprocess.First,scientificworktendstofocus

onsomeaspectofprevailingKnowledgethatisviewedasincompleteorincorrect.Littlereward

accompaniesduplicationandconfirmationofwhatisalreadyknownandbelieved.Thegoalis

new-search,notre-search.Notsurprisingly,newlypublisheddiscoveiyclaimsandcredible

discoveriesthatappeartobeimportantandconvincingwillalwaysbeopentochallengeand

potentialmodificationorrefutationbyfutureresearchers.Second,noveltyitselffrequently

provokesdisbelief.NobelLaureateandphysiologistAlbertAzcnt-Gyorgyioncedescribed

discoveryas“seeingwhateverybodyhasseenandthinkingwhatnobodyhasthought/,But

thinkingwhatnobodyelsehasthoughtandtellingotherswhattheyhavemissedmaynotchange

theirviews.Sometimesyearsarerequiredfbrtrulynoveldiscoveryclaimstobeacceptedand

appreciated.

Intheend,credibility“happens“toadiscoveryclaim-aprocessthatcorrespondstowhat

philosopherAnnetteBaierhasdescribedasthecommonsofthemind."Wereasontogether,

challenge,revise,andcompleteeachother'sreasoningandeachother,sconceptionsofreason.”

31.Accordingtothefirstparagraph,theprocessofdiscoveryischaracterizedbyits

[A]uncertainlyandcomplexity.

[B]misconceptionanddeceptiveness.

[C]logicalityandobjectivity.

|D]systematicnessandregularity.

32.ItcanbeinferredfromParagraph2(hatcredibilityprocessrequires

[A]strictinspection.

|B]sharcdefforts.

[C]individualwisdom.

[Djpersistentinnovation.

33.Paragraph3showsthatadiscoveryclaimbecomescredibleafterit

[A]hasattractedtheattentionofthegeneralpublic.

|B]hasbeenexaminedbythescientificcommunity.

[Clhasreceivedrecognitionfromeditorsandreviewers.

[D]hasbeenfrequentlyquotedbypeerscientists.

34.AlbertSzcnt-Gy?rgyiwouldmostlikelyagreethat

[A]scientificclaimsv/illsurvivechallenges.

[B]discoveriestodayinspirefutureresearch.

[C]effortstomakediscoveriesarejustified.

|D]scicntificworkcallsforacriticalmind.

35.Whichofthefollowingwouldbethebesttideofthe(est?

[A]NoveltyasanEngineofScientificDevelopment.

[B]CollectiveScrutinyinScientificDiscoveiy.

[C]EvolutionofCredibilityinDoingScience.

[D]ChallengetoCredibilityattheGatetoScience.

Text4

IfthetradeunionistJimmyHoffawerealivetoday,hewouldprobablyrepresentcivil

servant.WhenHoffa'sTeamsterswereintheirprimein1960,onlyoneintenAmerican

governmentworkersbelongedtoaunion;now36%do.In2024thenumberofunionistsin

America'spublicsectorpassedthatoftheirfellowmembersintheprivatesector.InBritain,more

thanhalfofpublic-sectorworkersbutonlyabout15%ofprivate-sectoronesareunionized.

Therearethreereasonsforthepublic-sectorunions'thriving.First,theycanshutthings

downwithoutsufferingmuchinthewayofconsequences.Second,theyaremostlybrightand

well-educated.AquarterofAmerica'spublic-sectorworkershaveauniversitydegree.Third,they

nowdominateIcft-of-ccntrcpolitics.Someoftheirticsgobackalongway.Britain'sLaborParty,

asitsnameimplies,haslongbeenassociatedwithtradeunionism.Itscurrentleader,EdMiliband,

oweshispositiontovotesfrompublic-sectorunions.

Althestateleveltheirinfluencecanbeevenmorefearsome.MarkBaldassareofthePublic

PolicyInstituteofCaliforniapointsoutthatmuchofthestate'sbudgetispatrolledbyunions.The

teachers'unionskeepaneyeonschools,theCCPOAonprisonsandavarietyoflaborgroupson

healthcare.

Inmanyrichcountriesaveragewagesinthestatesectorarehigherthanintheprivateone.

Buttherealgainscomeinbenefitsandworkpractices.Politicianshaverepeatedly“backloaded”

public-sectorpaydeals,keepingthepayincreasesmodestbutaddingtoholidaysandespecially

pensionsthatarealreadygenerous.

Reformhasbeenvigorouslyopposed,perhapsmostegregiouslyineducation,wherecharter

schools,academiesandmeritpayallfaceddrawn-outbattles.Eventhoughthereisplentyof

evidencethatthequalityoftheteachersisthemostimportantvariable,teachers'unionshave

foughtagainstgettingridofbadonesandpromotinggoodones.

Asthecosttoeveryoneelsehasbecomeclearer,politicianshavebeguntoclampdown.In

WisconsintheunionshaveralliedthousandsofsupportersagainstScottWalker,thehardline

Republicangovernor.Butmanywithinthepublicsectorsufferunderthecurrentsystem,too.

JohnDonahueatHarvard'sKennedySchoolpointsoutthatthenormsofcultureinWestern

civilservicessuit(hosewhowanttostayputbutisbadforhighachievers.TheonlyAmerican

public-sectorworkerswhoearnwellabove$250,000ayearareuniversitysportscoachesandthe

presidentoftheUnitedStates.Bankers,fatpaypacketshaveattractedmuchcriticism,buta

public-sectorsystemthatdoesnotrewardhighachieversmaybeamuchbiggerproblemfor

America.

36.Itcanbelearnedfromthefirstparagraph(hat

[A]Teamstersstillhavealargebodyofmembers.

[B]JimmyHoffausedtoworkasacivilsenant.

[C]unionshaveenlargedtheirpublic-sectormembership.

[D]thegovernmenthasimproveditsrelationshipwithunionists.

37.WhichofthefollowingistrueofParagraph2?

[A]Public-sectorunionsareprudentintakingactions.

[B]Educationisrequiredforpublic-sectorunionmembership.

IC]LaborPartyhaslengbeenfightingagainstpublic-sectorunions.

[D]Public-sectorunionsseldomgetintroublefortheiractions.

38.ItcanbelearnedfromParagraph4thattheincomeinthestatesectoris

[A]illegallysecured.

IB]indirectlyaugmented.

[C]excessivelyincreased.

[D]fairlyadjusted.

39.TheexampleoftheunionsinWisconsinshowstha:unions

lAJoftcnrunagainstthecurrentpoliticalsystem.

[BJcanchangepeople'spoliticalattitudes.

[C]maybeabarriertopublic-sectorreforms.

[D]aredominantinthegovernment.

40.JohnDonahue'sattitudetowardsthepublic-sectorsystemisoneof

[Ajdisapproval.

[B[appreciation.

[C]tolerance.

|D]indiffcrcncc.

PartB

Directions:

Inthefollowingtext,somesentenceshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions41-45,choosethe

mostsuitableonefromthelistA-Gtofitintoeachofthenumberedblanks.Therearetwoextra

choices,whichdonotfitinanyoftheblanks.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.(10

points)

Thinkofthosefleetingmomentswhenyoulookoutofanaeroplanewindowandrealisethat

youareflying,higherthanabird.Nowthinkofyourlaptop,thinnerthanabrown-paperenvelope,

oryourcellphoneinthepalmofyourhand.Takeamomentortwotowonderatthosemarvek.

Youaretheluckyinheritorofadreamcometrue.

Thesecondhalfofthe20lhcenturysawacollectionofgeniuses,warriors,entrepreneursand

visionarieslabourtocreateafabulousmachinethatcouldfunctionasatypewriterandprinting

press,studioandtheatre,paintbrushandgallery,pianoandradio,themailaswellasthemail

carrier.(41)

I'hcnetworkedcomputerisanamazingdevice,thefirstmediamachinethatservesasthe

modeofproduction,meansofdistribution,siteofreception,andplaceofpraiseandcritique.The

computeristhe21stcentury'sculturemachine.

Butforallthereasonstherearetocelebratethecoinpuier,wemustalsotreadwithcaution.

(42)1callitasecretwarfbrtworeasons.First,mostpeopledonotrealise(hattherearestrong

commercialagendasatworktokeeptheminpassiveconsumptioninode.Second,themajorityof

peoplewhousenetworkedcomputerstouploadarenotevenawareofthesignificanceofwhat

theyaredoing.

Allanimalsdownload,butonlyafewupload.Beaversbuilddamsandbirdsmakenests.Yet

for(hemostpart,theanimalkingdommovesthroughtheworlddownloading.Humansareunique

intheircapacitytonotonlymaketoolsbutthenturnaroundandusethemtocreatesuperfluous

materialgoods-paintings,sculptureandarchitecture-andsuperfluousexperiences-music,

literature,religionandphilosophy.(43)

Forallthepossibilitiesofournewculturemachines,mostpeoplearcstillstuckindownload

mode.Evenaftertheadventofwidespreadsocialmedia,apyramidofproductionremains,witha

smallnumberofpeopleuploadingmaterial,aslightlylargergroupcommentingonormodifying

thatcontent,andahugepercentageremainingcontenttojustconsume.(44)

Televisionisaone-waytapflowingintoourhomes.Thehardesttaskthattelevisionasksof

anyoneistoturnthepoweroffafterhehasturnediton.

(45)Whatcountsasmeaningfuluploading?Mydefinitionrevolvesaroundtheconceptof

"stickiness"-creationsandexperiencestowhichothersadhere.

[A]Ofcourse,itispreciselythesesuperfluousthingsthatdefinehumancultureand

ultimatelywha(itistobehuman.Downloadingandconsumngculturerequiresgreatskills,but

failingtomovebeyonddownloadingistostriponeselfofadefiningconstituentofhumanity.

|B]Applicationsliketumblr,whichallowuserstocombinepictures,wordsandother

mediaincreativewaysandthensharethem,havethepotentialtoaddstickinessbyamusing,

entertainingandenlighteningothers.

[C]Notonlydidtheydevelopsuchadevicebutbytheturnofthemillenniumtheyhadalso

managedtoembeditinaworldwidesystemaccessedbybillionsofpeopleeveryday.

IDjThisisbecausethenetworkedcomputerhassparkedasecretwarbetweendownloading

anduploading-betweenpassiveconsumptionandactivecreation-whoseoutcomewillshapeour

collectivefutureinwayswccanonlybegintoimagine.

[E]Thechallengethecomputermountstotelevisionthusbearslittlesimilaritytooneformat

beingreplacedbyanotherinthemannerofrecordplayersbeingreplacedbyCDplayers.

[F]Onereasonforthepersistenceofthispyramidofproductionisthatforthepast

half-century,muchoftheworld'smediaculturehasbeendefinedbyasinglemedium-television-

andtelevisionisdefinedbydownloading.

[G]Thcnetworkedcomputeroffersthefirstchancein50yearstoreversetheflow,to

encouragethoughtfuldownloadingand,evenmoreimportanlly,meaningfuluploading.

PartC

Directions:

ReadthefollowingtextcarefullyandthentranslatetheunderlinedsegmentsintoChinese.

YourtranslationshouldbewrittenclearlyonANSWERSHEET2.(10points)

SincethedaysofAristotle,asearchforuniversalprincipleshascharacterizedthescientific

enterprise.Insomeways,thisquestforcommonalitiesdefinesscience.Newton'slawsofmotion

andDarwinianevolutioneachbindahostofdifferentphenomenaintoasingleexplicatoryframe

work.

(46)Inphysics,oneapproachtakesthisimpulseforunificationtoitsextreme,andseeksa

theoryofeverything-asinglegenerativeequationforallwesee.Itisbecominglessclear,however,

thatsuchatheorywouldbeasimplification,giventhedimensionsanduniversesthatitmight

entail,nonetheless,unificationofsortsremainsamajorgoal.

Thistendencyinthenaturalscienceshaslongbeenevidentinthesocialsciencestoo.

(47)Here,Darwinismseemstoofferjustificationforitallhumanssharecominonoriginsitseems

reasonabletosupposethatculturaldiversitycouldalsobetracedtomoreconstrainedbeginnings.

Justasthebewilderingvarietyofhumancourtshipritualsmightallbeconsideredformsofsexual

selection,perhapstheworld'slanguages,music,socialandreligiouscustomsandevenhistoryare

governedbyuniversalfeatures.(48)Tofilteroutwhatisuniquefromwhatissharedmightenable

ustounderstandhowcomplexculturalbehavioraroseandwhatguidesitinevolutionaryor

cognitiveterms.

That,atleast,isthehope.Butacomparativestudyoflinguistictraitspublishedonlinetoday

suppliesarealitycheck.RussellGrayattheUniversityofAucklandandhiscolleaguesconsider

theevolutionofgrammarsinthelightoftwopreviousattemptstofinduniversalityinlanguage.

ThemostfamousoftheseeffortswasinitiatedbyNoamChomsky,whosuggestedthat

humansarebornwithaninnatelanguage-acquisitioncapacitythatdictatesauniversalgrammar.A

fewgenerativerulesarethensufficienttounfoldtheentirefundamentalstructureofalanguage,

whichiswhychildrencanlearni(soquickly.

(49)Thesecond,byJoshuaGreenberg,takesamoreempiricalapproachtouniversality

identifyingtraits(particularlyinwordorder)sharedbymanylanguagewhicharcconsideredto

representbiasesthatresultfromcognitiveconstraints

Grayandhiscolleagueshaveputthemtothetestbyexaminingfourfamilytreesthat

betweenthemrepresentmorethan2,000languagcs.(50)Chomsky'sgrammarshouldshowpa:tcrns

oflanguagechange(hatareindependentofthefamilytreeorthepathway(rackedthroughit.

WhereasGreenbergianuniversalitypredictsstrongco-dependenciesbetweenparticulartypesof

word-orderrelations.Neitherofthesepatternsisborneoutby(heanalysis,suggestingthatthe

structuresofthelanguagesarelireage-specificandnotgovernedbyuniversals

SectionIIIWriting

PartA

51.Directions:

Som