阅读理解 Historians who study European women of the Renaissance try to measure "independence," "options," and other indicators of the degree to which the expression of women's individuality was either permitted or suppressed. Influenced by Western individualism, these historians define a peculiar form of personhood: an innately bounded unit, autonomous and standing apart from both nature and society. An anthropologist, however, would contend that a person can be conceived in ways other than as an "individual." In many societies a person's identity is not intrinsically unique and self-contained but instead is defined within a complex web of social relationships.
In her study of the fifteenth-century Florentine widow Alessandra Strozzi, a historian who specializes in European women of the Renaissance attributes individual intention and authorship of actions to her subject. This historian assumes that Alessandra had goals and interests different from those of her sons, yet much of the historian's own research reveals that Alessandra acted primarily as a champion of her sons' interests, taking their goals as her own. Thus Alessandra conforms more closely to the anthropologist's notion that personal motivation is embedded in a social context. Indeed, one could argue that Alessandra did not distinguish her personhood from that of her sons. In Renaissance Europe the boundaries of the conceptual self were not always firm and closed and did not necessarily coincide with the boundaries of the bodily self.

单选题 1.According to the passage, much of the research on Alessandra Strozzi done by the historian mentioned in the second paragraph supports which of the following conclusions?

A、 Alessandra used her position as her sons' sole guardian to further interests different from those of her sons.
B、 Alessandra unwillingly sacrificed her own interests in favor of those of her sons.
C、 Alessandra's actions indicate that her motivations and intentions were those of an independent individual.
D、 Alessandra's social context encouraged her to take independent action.
E、 Alessandra regarded her sons' goals and interests as her own.

【正确答案】 E

【答案解析】Supporting ideas
According to the passage, a historian of women in Renaissance Europe attributes to a Florentine widow Alessandra Strozzi "individual intention and authorship of actions" and argues that she had significant individual goals and interests other than those of her sons. But the passage states that much of the historian's research indicates otherwise.
A According to the passage, the historian's research provides much evidence that Alessandra Strozzi acted primarily to further her sons' interests.
B The passage does not cite any of the historian's research to suggest that Strozzi was an unwilling champion of her sons' interest.
C A theme of the passage is that the historian's research provides weak, if any, support for this claim.
D The historian's research is not invoked in the passage to support this. The passage suggests that such a claim is more compatible with an anthropologist's idea that identity is socially and culturally determined and not necessarily "independent," as various historians assume.
E Correct. The passage states: "much of the historian's own research reveals that Alessandra acted primarily as a champion of her sons' interests, taking their goals as her own."
The correct answer is E.

单选题 2.In the first paragraph, the author of the passage mentions a contention that would be made by an anthropologist most likely in order to

A、 present a theory that will be undermined in the discussion of a historian's study later in the passage
B、 offer a perspective on the concept of personhood that can usefully be applied to the study of women in Renaissance Europe
C、 undermine the view that the individuality of European women of the Renaissance was largely suppressed
D、 argue that anthropologists have applied the Western concept of individualism in their research
E、 lay the groundwork for the conclusion that Alessandra's is a unique case among European women of the Renaissance whose lives have been studied by historians

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】Evaluation
The passage asserts that an anthropologist would contend that "a person can be conceived in ways other than as an 'individual.'"Immediately preceding this assertion, the passage asserts that certain historians think of a person as "ar innately bounded unit, autonomous and standing apart from both nature and society."The passage invokes anthropology to support the view that perhaps the findings of those historians regarding individualism among women in Renaissance Europe are biased.
A Anthropology is invoked to provide a corrective to the findings of the historians mentioned—not to provide a critique of any anthropological theory.
B Correct. The passage makes the case that the anthropological view may be more useful than the historian's in the study of women in Renaissance Europe.
C The passage cites no claim by historians that individuality of women in Renaissance Europe was largely suppressed, and the passage presents no argument to critique or refute such a claim.
D The passage makes no such claim about anthropologists, but does make a similar claim about certain historians.
E The passage does not state or imply that Strozzi was atypical of women in Renaissance Europe that historians have studied, nor is the anthropological conception of personhood invoked to underpin any such view.
The correct answer is B.

单选题 3.The passage suggests that the historians referred to in line 1 make which of the following assumptions about Renaissance Europe?

A、 That anthropologists overestimate the importance of the individual in Renaissance European society
B、 That in Renaissance Europe, women were typically allowed to express their individuality
C、 That European women of the Renaissance had the possibility of acting independently of the social context in which they lived
D、 That studying an individual such as Alessandra is the best way to draw general conclusions about the lives of women in Renaissance Europe
E、 That people in Renaissance Europe had greater personal autonomy than people do currently

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】Evaluation
The passage suggests that the historians, in their studies of women in Renaissance Europe, held a preconceived notion of personhood—a notion that implied at least the possibility of individual autonomous action unaffected by social context. By implication, the passage ascribes a similar preconception to the historian whose study of Strozzi is discussed.
A No view concerning anthropologists or their work is attributed, even by implication, to the historians.
B Even if the historians held a view regarding the scope of what women in Renaissance Europe were typically allowed to do, the passage does not attribute such a view to them.
C Correct. The passage implies that the historians assumed it was at least sometimes possible for women in Renaissance Europe to act autonomously, unaffected by social context.
D The passage does not indicate that the historians assumed study of a single individual was the best approach to study of women's lives in Renaissance Europe.
E The passage neither explicitly nor implicitly claims that the historians assumed women had more personal autonomy in Renaissance Europe than women have currently.
The correct answer is C.

单选题 4.It can be inferred that the author of the passage believes which of the following about the study of Alessandra Strozzi done by the historian mentioned in the second paragraph?

A、 Alessandra was atypical of her time and was therefore an inappropriate choice for the subject of the historian's research.
B、 In order to bolster her thesis, the historian adopted the anthropological perspective on personhood.
C、 The historian argues that the boundaries of the conceptual self were not always firm and closed in Renaissance Europe.
D、 In her study, the historian reverts to a traditional approach that is out of step with the work of other historians of Renaissance Europe.
E、 The interpretation of Alessandra's actions that the historian puts forward is not supported by much of the historian's research.

【正确答案】 E

【答案解析】Inference
The passage tells us that the historian who studied Strozzi "attributes individual intention and authorship of actions" to her. But the passage author claims that much of the historian's own research supports the view that, contrary to the historian's interpretation, "Alessandra did not distinguish her personhood from that of her sons"—and therefore that her actions did not primarily express personal autonomy.
A Nothing in the passage implies that this is true or that the passage author believes it was so.
B The passage is in direct contradiction with this claim about the historian, and it strongly suggests that the author of the passage would reject this claim.
C The passage author makes this point concerning "the boundaries of the conceptual self" as part of the critique of the historian's approach.
D The passage author characterizes the historian's approach neither as traditional nor as nontraditional; nor does the passage author contrast the historians approach with that of any other historian.
E Correct. The passage author suggest that much of the historian's research provides support for an interpretation that is incompatible with the historian's own interpretation.
The correct answer is E.

单选题 5.The passage suggests that the historian mentioned in the second paragraph would be most likely to agree with which of the following assertions regarding Alessandra Strozzi?

A、 Alessandra was able to act more independently than most women of her time because she was a widow.
B、 Alessandra was aware that her personal motivation was embedded in a social context.
C、 Alessandra had goals and interests similar to those of many other widows in her society.
D、 Alessandra is an example of a Renaissance woman who expressed her individuality through independent action.
E、 Alessandra was exceptional because she was able to effect changes in the social constraints placed upon women in her society.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】Application
According to the passage, the historian whose study of Strozzi is discussed "attributes individual intention and authorship of actions" to her. The passage does not discuss whether, or how, the historian may have regarded Strozzi's widowhood as relevant to her exercise of autonomy; nor does the passage discuss the extent to which, if at all, the historian regarded Strozzi's actions, goals, or interests as typical of women in Renaissance Europe.
A The passage provides no evidence as to whether the historian would agree with this.
B The passage does not attribute to the historian, even implicitly, a view that Strozzi's personal motivation was primarily "embedded in a social context"; so the historian would likely believe that Strozzi herself did not see her personal motivation as so embedded.
C The passage provides no evidence as to whether the historian would regard Strozzi's goals and interests as resembling those of other widows in her society.
D Correct. The first sentence of the second paragraph indicates that the historian treats Strozzi as an example of a Renaissance woman who expressed her individuality through independent action.
E The passage provides no evidence that the historian viewed Strozzi as exceptional in effecting any kind of social change.
The correct answer is D.