英语专业八级满分听力 test-9

[00:00.00]Test Nine

[00:24.67]SECTION A MINI-LECTURE

[00:26.86]In this section, you will hear a mini-lecture.

[00:29.92]You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY.

[00:32.55]While listening, take notes on the important points.

[00:36.16]Your notes will not be marked,

[00:38.34]but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture.

[00:42.28]When the lecture is over, you’ll be given two minutes to check your notes,

[00:46.99]and another 10 minutes to complete the gap-filling task.

[00:50.05]Now listen to the mini-lecture.

[00:52.45]Types and Acceptance

[00:54.75]Good afternoon, everybody.

[00:56.61]Today we’ll go on with our discussion about “Elements of Culture”.

[01:00.33]We have talked about the element of language,

[01:03.17]which is viewed by sociologists as the foundation of every culture.

[01:07.33]Now let’s look at the second element—norms.

[01:10.94]What are norms?

[01:12.91]Norms can be defined as the established standards of behaviour maintained by a society.

[01:18.38]Well, you know, all societies have ways of encouraging and enforcing

[01:23.08]what they view as appropriate behaviour

[01:25.70]while discouraging and punishing what they consider to be improper conducts.

[01:30.84]For example, respect for older people is a norm found in China.

[01:35.00]“Put on some clean clothes for dinner” is a norm followed in America.

[01:39.27]Bowing deeply to each other when meeting and saying good-bye to people is a norm practised in Japan.

[01:45.83]These are all norms.

[01:48.02]In order for a norm to become significant, it must be widely shared and understood.

[01:54.25]For example, when we go to the movies,

[01:56.88]we typically expect that people will be quiet while the film is showing.

[02:00.81]Because of this norm, if a member of the audience talks loudly,

[02:05.52]he may be asked to lower his voice.

[02:08.25]And when we go to school or go to work, we are expected to be punctual.

[02:12.96]If someone is late, he or she may feel uneasy and should say sorry to others.

[02:19.19]Now we’ll have a look at the types of norms. Sociologists distinguish norms in two ways.

[02:26.30]First, norms can be classified as formal and informal.

[02:31.44]Formal norms have generally been written down and involve strict rules for punishment of violators.

[02:38.00]Laws are an example of formal norms, because in a political sense,

[02:43.25]the law is the body of rules, made by government for society, interpreted by the courts,

[02:49.60]and backed by the state.

[02:51.13]Besides, the requirements for a college major and rules of a card game are also formal norms.

[02:58.02]By contrast, informal norms are generally understood but are not precisely recorded.

[03:04.70]Standards of proper dress are a common example of informal norms.

[03:08.85]Our society has no specific punishment or sanction

[03:12.56]if a student comes to college dressed quite differently from everyone else.

[03:17.27]The most likely response is that he or she might be made fun of by other students

[03:23.18]for his or her unusual choice of clothing.

[03:26.02]Second, norms are also classified by their relative importance to society.

[03:33.13]When classified this way, they are known as mores and folkways.

[03:38.60]Mores are norms that are regarded highly necessary to the welfare of a society,

[03:45.05]often because they embody the most valuable principles of a people.

[03:49.87]Each society demands obedience to its mores, and violation can lead to severe penalties.

[03:56.64]For example, our society has strong mores against murder and treason.

[04:02.77]Folkways are norms governing everyday behaviour whose violation raised relatively little concern.

[04:10.75]For example, walking up a “down” escalator in a department store

[04:16.23]challenges our standards of appropriate behaviour,

[04:19.40]but it will not result in a fine or a jail sentence.

[04:22.35]Folkways play an important role in shaping the daily behaviour of members of a culture.

[04:28.70]OK, how do people accept norms? Now we’ll talk about the acceptance of norms.

[04:35.80]First, norms, whether mores or folkways, are not followed in all situations.

[04:42.80]In some cases, people evade a norm because they know it is weakly enforced.

[04:48.49]For example, although smoking in public is forbidden,

[04:52.87]we often find people smoking in buses or other public places.

[04:57.02]Second, norms are violated in some instances because one norm conflicts with another.

[05:04.68]For example, suppose you live in an apartment building

[05:08.62]and one night you hear the screams of the woman next door.

[05:12.77]She is being beaten by her husband.

[05:15.51]If you decided to intervene by calling the police,

[05:19.34]you are violating the norm of “mind your own business”

[05:23.17]or “don’t interfere with other family’s business”,

[05:26.44]while at the same time you are following the norm of assisting a victim of violence.

[05:32.90]Then, even when norms do not conflict, there are always exceptions to any norm.

[05:39.68]The same action, under different circumstances,

[05:43.62]can cause one to be viewed either as a hero or as a villain.

[05:48.43]For example, Eaves-dropping on telephone conversation is normally considered illegal or mean,

[05:55.98]but it can be done by the police to obtain valid evidence for a criminal trial.

[06:02.10]Even killing another human being is tolerated as a form of self-defence

[06:07.58]and is actually rewarded in warfare.

[06:10.75]Acceptance of norms is also subjected to change,

[06:14.80]as the political, economic, and social conditions of a culture is transformed.

[06:19.83]For example, under traditional norms, a woman was expected to marry, rear children,

[06:26.50]and remain at home if her husband could support the family.

[06:29.45]However, these norms have been changing in recent decades,

[06:33.05]and more and more women are ready to or encouraged to have her own career

[06:37.54]and support the family together with her husband.

[06:40.60]As support for traditional norms weakens,

[06:43.34]people will feel free to violate them more frequently and openly

[06:47.39]and will be less likely to receive serious negative sanctions for doing so.

[06:52.09]Well, time is almost up for today’s lecture.

[06:55.15]To sum up, norms are established standards of behaviour maintained by a society.

[07:01.17]They are distinguished in two ways, that is, formal or informal norms according to their formality,

[07:08.17]and mores and folkways according to their relative importance to society.

[07:13.85]People in a culture normally follow its norms,

[07:17.25]but acceptance of norms differs in different situations and social conditions.

[07:22.50]Next time we’ll go on with other elements of culture, sanctions and values. See you then.