阅读理解
When we speak of a basic human need we mean something which is necessary to life, something we cannot possibly do without.Food is a basic human need.Without it we would starve to death; but even if we have plenty of food, but of the wrong kind, our bodies will suffer from a lack of the right food.This is known as malnutrition.
In primitive countries, people want only the foods which can be grown near their homes, whereas we eat foods which are often grown many thousands of miles away from our homes.Just think of the different types of meat we cat, beef mutton, pork, chicken, turkey, goose, and rabbit.We could manage on a diet of one kind of meat, but how monotonous it would become! Even turkey, which most of us eat only at Christmas, would become monotonous(单调的)if we ate it every day.
Yet we cannot live on meat alone, and need other foods like bread and fruit to provide us with other essential nutrients which we need to keep our bodies healthy.
We can agree with primitive man that food is a basic need, but we differ:from him in our food wants because of.the wide variety of food we have available compared with him; we have a wider choice.Take fruit, for example, not only can we enjoy the fruits grown in this country, but because of modem methods of transport and food preservation, we can also enjoy the more exotic fruits from countries thousands of miles away, whereas primitive man, is limited in his choice to the kinds of fruit which actually grow where he lives.
However they differ in satisfying their hunger primitive and civilized men both experience the basic need for food.
The same is true of the second of our human needs.Clothing is necessary to regulate the heat of our bodies.Since we live:in a temperate climate we need more clothes than people living in tropic conditions.Likewise, our clothing needs to change with seasons.
Shelter, the third of our needs, depends upon the climate, the skill of the builder, one's social position, and the materials available.The simple shelter of the aboriginal would not do for US, and yet it satisfies his needs.The three bed roomed suburban house of the average family would not be grand enough for a rich family, and yet the modern house contains many of the material comforts which were denied to the kings and queens of old times.
|