Why do readers of New Scientist continue to get steamed up about race? After all, it can be used as an innocuous technical term by anthropologists. But all too often discussions of “race“ lead to “racism“, and tempers begin to fray. Before the 18th century, race merely described a group of common cultural origin, not one defined by immutable characteristics. Unfortunately, this usage changed as the Western powers colonized Asia and Africa and needed a way to characterize the peoples they subjected as not only different, but inferior. A long list of scientists helped to “classify“ the races. Among them were some of the famous names of the 18th and 19th centuries: Linnaeus, Cuvier, Haeckel, Huxley and Buffon. Although their classifications rarely agreed, many accepted that the races were fundamentally different and could be arranged with Caucasians at the top. Only after the Darwinian evolution and the emergence of genetics did the notion of a league table start to crumble. By the 1940s, UNESCO could emphatically state: “Racism falsely claims that there is a scientific basis for arranging groups hierarchically in terms of psychological and cultural characteristics that are immutable and innate.“ That groups cannot be arranged hierarchically does not mean that anthropologists cannot set up classifications which divide people into different groups, or that such classifications will not be useful, as several of our latter writers point out. For example, they can provide vital tools (along with language distribution) to reconstruct the prehistoric movements of peoples. Where genetic data are available, these reconstructions can be greatly refined. In other contexts, such classifications are misleading. Many of the differences they record (including facial features, skin and hair color) are most probably superficial adaptations to local climate. Although useful as indicators of the origin of different groups, they imply nothing fundamental about differences between them. Attempts to assess more important differences between groups (of any number of cognitive abilities, for example) always come to the same very well-known conclusion — that the differences between individuals within one racial group are much larger than the differences between the average members of two such groups. What this means is that it is impossible to say anything about a particular individual’s ability because of his or her race (however, defined) because the spread of variation within a race is larger than the average difference between races. Racism can thus receive no support from science, even though a classification of races can be scientifically useful. Lay people sometimes put more faith in the concept of race than scientists do, perhaps because they believe they can quite easily identify a person’s race or even nationality. But it’s not that easy: our correspondent from Le Vesinet, for example, identified some of the people in our recent feature (“Genes in Black and White“) as Australian, Sicilian, Sumatran and Brazilian. In fact, they came from Sweden, Greece, the Central African Republic and Russia.

Before the 18th century, the word “race“ was used______.

A．to describe the people of common origin and culture

B．by anthropologists for classifications of races

C．to indicate the hierarchy of different groups

D．rarely by ordinary people

The Darwinian evolution and the emergence of genetics helped to______.

A．promote the notion of a league table

B．get rid of the notion of a league table

C．establish the UNESCO

D．arrange groups hierarchically

The classifications of races by anthropologists are useful in that they______.

A．divide people into different groups

B．help to define prehistoric human movements

C．contribute to language distribution

D．provide tools for the study of prehistoric human movements

Anthropologists’ classifications are sometimes misleading because they______.

A．imply fundamental differences between groups

B．refine the reconstruction of prehistoric human movements

C．do not imply the basic differences between groups

D．tell nothing about the influence of local climate

Racism receives little support from science because______.

A．a classification of races can be scientifically useful

B．an individual’s ability is determined by his or her race

C．the spread of variation within a race is larger

D．the notion of racism has already become insignificant

Despite their seemingly______architecture, the pyramids of Giza are actually intricate marvels of ancient engineering. romantic complex classical simplistic

Any scientist who is not a hypocrite will admit the important part that______plays in the scientific discovery. project research genius luck

Although some insist that all behaviors are learned, there are others who hold that some behaviors are______, existing before any learning occurs. negligent durable innate customary

No matter how______snowmobiles are driven, they are capable of damaging the land over which they travel. dangerously seriously technically discreetly

Nowadays many people are frustrated with serious______, especially when faced with something they do not want to do. delinquency deficiency delay defence

Because their roots are external and their leaf bases clasp, palm trees are rigid and upright, yet elastic enough to bend in strong winds. eligible flexible thin soft

The following excerpt is the beginning of a memoir, published in 1989, by a woman who emigrated with her family from Poland to Canada when she was a teenager. dissertation introduction publication selection

The Internet is rapidly becoming another means of disseminating information traditionally made available through radio and television stations. creating interpreting spreading expressing

Flints’ finds in the region extending from the Nile Valley to the highlands of eastern Iraq testify to the presence of people as long as 100, 000 years ago. prophesy demonstrate imply mention

Greg had a premonition that the day would not go well, and just as he feared, he had two important quizzes ahead. prediction sensation feeling intention

No matter how many readers already revere Amy Tan, their appreciation for her will grow 10 fold after experiencing these unforgettable revelations. value admire familiarize memorize

A UK study revealed that the children who demonstrated the highest measure of happiness came from families in which both parents worked outside the home. layer tier degree scale

Even those who do not concur with Robinson’s views recognize him as a candidate who has courageously refused to compromise his convictions. ally agree aspire argue

The two knights engaged in a perilous fight. It would not end until one of them lay dead on the ground. serious divided risky humble

Jane felt wishy-washy about whether to go to the party or not. On the one hand, it seemed like fun, but on the other, it was very boring. amicable ambient amiable ambivalent

It was said that the board of directors decide to put Peter in charge of the work. decided has decided had decided have decided

We believe that the parcel will reach you safely by the time you read the mail. reaches will have reached has reached would reach

The reason the hills were natural places for planting fruit trees was since there is more sunlight. for that what because

My father used to make me repeating his instructions to make sure that I knew what I was doing after he had gone to work. repeat... do to repeat... do repeat... to do to repeat... to do

Hunted as the wild turkey is, it has developed a high degree of ingenuity in escaping from its pursuers. It appears to have learned a game of make-【C1】______. When caught 【C2】______ close quarters, it puts on the tame and【C3】______ demeanor of the domesticated bird. Dr. Wheaton mentions a case【C4】______ two hunters of his acquaintance came suddenly upon a【C5】______ of five in the road. They seemed quite【C6】______, walked deliberately in front of the two gunners, 【C7】______ a fence, and disappeared slowly 【C8】______ a low hill. Then they【C9】______ to their legs, and presently to their wings, and soon placed a wide【C10】______ between themselves and their dupes. The chagrin of the sportsmen may be imagined. The【C11】______ had made a game of them. Such birds Wheaton would have called “【C12】______ civilized“. Yet turkeys are wise in some respects and foolish in others. In old times, at【C13】______, great numbers were caught in【C14】______ built of logs, the only entrance【C15】______which was through a shallow, narrow trench. The【C16】______ birds, following the corn which had been scattered in the trench, 【C17】______ through the entrance; when perhaps half a dozen of them were inside, and the bait was all eaten, they tried in【C18】______ to get out through the top or sides of the pen, never once looking down and passing【C19】______ by the way they had come in, even though they might remain in the trap for several days, or until they【C20】______ of hunger.

The phrase “steamed up“ underlined in Paragraph 1 means______.

Before the 18th century, the word “race“ was used______.

Some Western colonizers thought that they were______.

The classification of races by famous 18th- and 19th-century scientists were______.

The Darwinian evolution and the emergence of genetics helped to______.

The classifications of races by anthropologists are useful in that they______.

Anthropologists’ classifications are sometimes misleading because they______.

Compared with differences between individuals within a group, the differences between groups are______.

Racism receives little support from science because______.

Which of the following is the appropriate title of the passage?