Passage 4
The concept of “environment” is certainly difficult and may even be misunderstood; but we have no handy substitute. It seems simple enough to distinguish between the organism and the surrounding environment and to separate forces acting on an organism into those that are internal and biological and those that are external and environmental. But in actual practice this system breaks down in many ways, because the organism and the environment are constantly interacting so that the environment is modified by the organism and vice versa（反之亦然）.
In the case of man, the difficulties with the environmental concept are even more complicated because we have to deal with man as an animal and with man as a bearer (持有者) of culture. If we look at man as an animal and try to analyze the environmental forces that are acting on the organism, we find that we have to deal with things like climate, soil, plants and such-like factors common to all biological situations; but we also find, always, very important environmental influences that we can only class as “cultural”, which modify the physical and biological factors. But man, as we know him, is always a bearer of culture; and if we study human culture, we find that it, in turn, is modified by the environmental factors of climate and geography. We thus easily get into great difficulties from the necessity of viewing culture, at one moment, as a part of the man and, at another moment, as a part of the environment.
Which of the following words can best describe the popular understanding of “environment” as the author sees it?
开篇即提到对环境的概念存在误解(misunderstood)，之后详细谈 论这种误解是由于没有可用的替代词，这样一来把外界环境与生物体 分开最为简单（It seems simple enough to distinguish between the organism and the surrounding environment and to separate forces ...that are external and environmental）。由此可知，大众对于“环境”一词的 理解过于简化了。所以答案选D。
According to the author the concept of “environment” is difficult to explain because ________.
首段末句提到实际上环境这个体系分为很多方面，因为生物体 与环境在不断地互动，生物体改变环境，同样环境也在改变生物体 （...because the organism and the environment are constantly interacting so that the environment is modified by the organism and vice versa）。所 以生物体与环境的互相影响使得“环境”概念难以解释，所以选C。
In analyzing the environmental forces acting on man the author suggests that ________.
第二段提到环境对人的作用。作者从两方面分析即人类作为动 物而言（man as an animal）和作为文化载体而言（man as a bearer of culture）。首先作为动物而言，环境作用就是那些对生物情况都产生 影响的气候、土壤、植物之类的（man as an animal and try to analyze the environmental forces ...such-like factors common to all biological situations）;之后又提到还有文化环境的影响（...very important environmental influences that we can only class as “cultural”）。综上可 知答案选C。
As for culture, the author points out that ________.
作者提到如果研究人类文化就会发现，文化也是由气候、地理 这类的环境因素改变的（we study human culture, we find that it, in turn, is modified by the environmental factors of climate and geography）。所 以说文化也成为了生物情况的一种。综合选项可知，D最合适。
In this passage, the author is primarily concerned with ________.
全文主旨题。纵观全文，作者一直在围绕环境的概念做出诠 释。第一段先否定传统的对于环境的概念，之后由人与环境之间的互 动关系对于环境进行分类。所以可知全文是在对环境做出诠释，答案选A。