The concept of culture has been defined many times, and although no definition has achieved universal acceptance, most of the definitions include three central ideas: that culture is passed on from generation to generation, that a culture represents a ready-made principle for living and for making day-to-day decisions, and, finally, that the components of a culture are accepted by those in the culture as good, and true, and not to be questioned. The eminent anthropologist George Murdock has listed seventy-three items that characterize every known culture, past and present. The list begins with Age-grading and Athletic sports, runs to Weaning and Weather Control, and includes on the way such items as Calendar, Fire making, Property Rights, and Tool making. I would submit that even the most extreme advocate of a culture of poverty viewpoint would readily acknowledge that, with respect to almost all of these items, every American, beyond the first generation immigrant, regardless of race or class, is a member of a common culture. We all share pretty much the same sports. Maybe poor kids don't know how to play polo, and rich kids don't spend time with stickball, but we all know baseball, football, and basketball. Despite some misguided efforts to raise minor dialects to the status of separate  tongues, we all, in fact, share the same language. There may be differences in diction and usage, but it would be ridiculous to say that all Americans don't speak English. We have the calendar, the law, and large numbers of other cultural items in common. It may well be true that on a few of the seventy-three items there are minor variations between classes, but these kinds of things are really slight variations on a common theme. There are other items that show variability, not in relation to class, but in relation to religion and ethnic background -- funeral customs and cooking, for example. But if there is one place in America where the melting pot is a reality, it is on the kitchen stove; in the course of one month,... According to the author's definition of culture,   _  . A) a culture should be accepted and maintained universally B) a culture should be free from falsehood and evils C) the items of a culture should be taken for granted by people D) the items of a culture should be accepted by well-educated people
C

This story breaks my heart every time. Just two years after the discovery of tanzanite in 1967, a Maasai tribesman knocked on the door of a gem   cutter's office in Nairobi. The Maasai had brought along an enormous block of tanzanite and he was looking to sell. His asking price? Fifty dollars. But the gem cutter assumed that a stone so large could only be glass and refused. It turned out that the gem was genuine and could have been worth close to $3,000,000!  The gem cutter missed his chance to hit the jeweler's jackpot and make history. Would you have made the same mistake then? Will you make it today?   In the decades since its discovery, tanzanite has become one of the world's most precious gemstones. Found in only one remote place on the Earth (in Tanzania's Merelani Hills), the precious purple stone is 1,000 times rarer than diamonds. Luxury retailers have been warning that supplies of tanzanite will not last forever. And in this case, they're right. Once the last purple gem is pulled from the Earth, that's it. No more tanzanite. Most believe that we only have a few years' supply left, which is why it's so amazing for us to offer this incredible price break. Our 2-carat Tanzanite Ring is a real bargain! This is a ring designed to impress and it does not disappoint.  Now is the point where opportunity knocks, much like a Maasai tribesman on your office door. If you open that door today, you can own this excellent ring for less than $100. If you wait? We can't say for sure. Because when it comes to Africa's most prized purple stone, only one thing is certain:  _ . Call now to take advantage of this limited offer. 1-888 201-7112 The gem cutter didn't buy the stone because   _  . A) he couldn't afford to pay for it B) he doubted whether it was genuine C) the Maasai tribesman charged too much D) the stone was small and of poor quality
B

Global Positioning Systems   are now a part of everyday driving in many countries.These satellitebased systems provide turnbyturn directions to help people get to where they want to go.However,they can also cause a lot of problems,send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost.Many times,the driver is to blame.Sometimes a GPS error is responsible.Most often,says Barry Brown,it is a combination of the two. Barry Brown is with the Mobile Life Centre in Stockholm,Sweden.He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States.There he borrowed a GPSequipped car to use during his stay.Mr Brown says,"They just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination.And,then it wasn't until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived.They actually put their home address in.So again,the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'." Mr Brown says this is a common human error,but what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings,or failures,of GPS equipment.He says,"One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn.Because they just give you the next turn,sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it's going to the wrong place." Mr Brown says,"One of the things that struck us,perhaps the most important thing was that you have to know what you're doing when you use a GPS.There are these new skills that people have developed.There are these new competencies   that you need to have to be able to use a GPS because they sometimes go wrong.This goes against a common belief that GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational skills." Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers,passengers and GPS systems work together. The example of Barry Brown's friend is used to show that  _  . A) GPS is nothing but garbage B) GPS is still not accurate enough C) it is difficult for drivers to use GPS equipment D) sometimes drivers are responsible for the problem

D