单选题 Culture is transmitted largely by language and by the necessity for people in close contact to co-operate. The more extensive the communications network, the greater the exchange of ideas and beliefs and the more alike people become--in toleration of diversity if nothing else. Members of a culture or a nation are generally in closer contact with one another than with members of other cultures or nations. They become more like each other and more unlike others. In this way, there develops "national character", which is the statistical tendency for a group of people to share values and follow similar behavior patterns.
Frequently, the members of one culture will interpret the "national characteristics" of another group in terms of their own values. For example, the inhabitants of a South Pacific island may be considered "lazy" by citizens of some industrialized nations. On the other hand, it may be that the islanders place a great value on social relationships but little value on "productivity", and crops grow with little attention. The negative connotation of the label "lazy" is thus unjustified from the point of view of the island culture.
Stereotypes, such as "lazy", "inscrutable", and "dishonest" give people the security of labels with which to react to others in a superficial way, but they are damaging to real understanding among members of different cultures. People react more to labels than to reality. A black American Peace Corps volunteer, for instance, is considered and called a white man by black Africans. The "we--they" distinction applies to whatever characteristic the "wes" have and the "theys" do not have-- and the characteristics attributed to the "theys" are usually ones with a negative value.
The distinction becomes most obvious in times of conflict. For this reason, it is often suggested the only thing that might join all men together on this planet would be an invasion from outer space. "We", the earthlings, would then fight "them", the outsiders.
Given the great diversities- real and imagined- among people of the world, is there any foundation for hope that someday all men might join together to form a single and legitimate world government? The outcome will probably depend on the political evolution of mankind.

单选题 What makes people more tolerant of diversity between different groups?
A. Extensive communications. B. Language development.
C. Close cooperation. D. Direct interactions.

单选题 "National character" is built among people who______
A. like each other B. share their values
C. speak the same language D. think in the same way

单选题 To some industrialized nations, the mentioned South Pacific islanders are______
A. well-organized B. inefficient C. carefree D. idle

单选题 With stereotypes, people tend to______
A. react to each other on a regular basis B. describe other cultures with labels
C. take their own culture as the best of all D. see different cultures in different ways

单选题 What is true about the black American Peace Corps volunteer?
A. He was wronged by his fellow African Americans.
B. He was considered against by the whites.
C. He was discriminated against by the whites.
D. He was excluded from the black Africans.

单选题 It is possible to form a single and legitimate world government only when______
A. people of different nations hold similar political views
B. human beings as a whole have one common enemy
C. people are willing to abandon their "national character"
D. human beings are able to contact beings in outer space