Question

【题目】Some people describe American society as a salad bowl while others think of it as a melting pot.

In a bowl of salad, all the ingredients (原料) are mixed together. 【1】 Together, however, the ingredients make up a unity. All the ingredients of a salad contribute to the finished product. They may be covered with the same dressing (调味酱), but the green vegetables, tomatoes and cooked corn can all be seen for what they are.

From this point of view, America is very much like a salad bowl where individual ethnic groups mix together, yet maintain their cultural uniqueness. People may work together during the day at similar jobs and in the same companies, but at night they may return to their ethnic groups where their own individual culture directs their way of life. 【2】 Each ethnic group has its own special customs, language, food and traditions to protect and defend. This idea of the salad bowl is referred to as cultural diversity; that is, American society is a collection of various cultures living together in harmony within one country.

【3】 Here, society is like one large pot of soup. All cultural aspects are mixed together, sacrificing their original identity and keeping a bit of what they were to become a new reality. The longer the soup is cooked, the better the taste and the more likely it will be for the mixture to be cooked. In this sense, America can surely be seen as a melting pot where people from all over the world come to live and work together creating one nation. There are dozens of shared symbols. 【4】 In such a culture, symbols like the flag and the nation’s official song serve to break down the walls which separate ethnic groups.

Whether a salad bowl or a melting pot, America can be best described as a mixture of both. 【5】

A. They never lose their shapes, colors or tastes.

B. Both are ridiculous.

C. This is why there is so much diversity within America.

D. Thus, one needs to abandon one’s culture to be considered “American”.

E. In other words, America is a nation where there is unity in diversity.

F. The other theory, which is also used to describe American society, is the melting pot.

G. They serve to develop the various ethnic groups to create a new American culture.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】C

【3】F

【4】G

【5】E

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述美国社会是一个大熔炉。

【1】根据文意：在沙拉碗里，各种沙拉的成分混合在一起，但它们还都保持各自的形状，颜色及口味，所以答案是A。

【2】根据文意：美国是一个多民族国家的原因是每一个少数民族都有自己的语言及风俗习惯，所以答案是C。

【3】下文主要讲述了美国社会被称为melting pot的原因，所以答案是F。

【4】根据文意：来自世界不同地方的人来美国生活定居，他们创造着美国的文化，所以答案是G。

【5】根据文意：美国是一个大熔炉，美国的各个民族是多样性的统一，所以答案是E。