雅思词汇课文(6)· Global Culture, Local Traditions 全球文化与本土传统
文化主题,约 350 词,融入 30 个雅思文化类核心词。
📖 课文 Text
Global Culture, Local Traditions
Walk through any major city in the world and you will find the same chain restaurants, the same pop music, the same films playing in the multiplexes. This growing cultural homogeneity is often described as globalisation — a process in which the cultures of different countries become increasingly interconnected and, critics fear, increasingly identical.
There is no question that globalisation has spread ideas, music and television at an unprecedented speed. K-pop bands fill stadiums in Latin America, Hollywood films earn more overseas than at home, and streaming services bring the same series to every continent. For its supporters, this is not cultural erosion but cultural enrichment: more people have access to stories and foods that were once local curiosities.
Yet the same forces that spread culture also threaten to flatten it. When a small town's family baker is replaced by an international fast-food brand, something is lost — not merely a meal, but the recipes, techniques and customs that define a place. Indigenous languages, whose richness has been built over centuries, are disappearing at a rate far faster than those of endangered animal species. Once a language dies, the poetry, jokes and knowledge stored within it vanish with it.
The response is not to reject globalisation entirely, but to protect what makes each culture unique. Governments can subsidise local arts, fund bilingual education, and support minority-language media. Tourism, too, can be managed so that it showcases local crafts rather than simply selling mass-produced souvenirs.
The goal is not a world of identical cities. It is a world where people can enjoy both the shared culture of the global age and the irreplaceable local traditions that give their lives meaning.
📝 生词表 New Words and Expressions
| Word | 音标 | 词性 | 中文 | 课文例句 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| homogeneity | /ˌhɒmədʒəˈniːəti/ | n. | 同质、同一性 | cultural homogeneity |
| globalisation | /ˌɡləʊbəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/ | n. | 全球化 | described as globalisation |
| interconnected | /ˌɪntəkəˈnektɪd/ | adj. | 相互联系的 | increasingly interconnected |
| unprecedented | /ʌnˈpresɪdentɪd/ | adj. | 前所未有的 | at an unprecedented speed |
| erosion | /ɪˈrəʊʒn/ | n. | 侵蚀、削弱 | not cultural erosion |
| custom | /ˈkʌstəm/ | n. | 习俗、风俗 | local customs |
| indigenous | /ɪnˈdɪdʒənəs/ | adj. | 本土的、土著的 | indigenous languages |
| species | /ˈspiːʃiːz/ | n. | 物种 | endangered animal species |
| subsidy | /ˈsʌbsədi/ | n. | 补贴、资助 | subsidise local arts |
| bilingual | /baɪˈlɪŋɡwəl/ | adj. | 双语的 | bilingual education |
| minority | /maɪˈnɒrəti/ | n. | 少数派、少数民族 | minority-language media |
| tourism | /ˈtʊərɪzəm/ | n. | 旅游业 | tourism, too, can be managed |
| craft | /krɑːft/ | n. | 手工艺、工艺品 | local crafts |
| souvenir | /ˌsuːvəˈnɪə/ | n. | 纪念品 | mass-produced souvenirs |
| unique | /juˈniːk/ | adj. | 独特的 | what makes each culture unique |
| irreplaceable | /ˌɪrɪˈpleɪsəbl/ | adj. | 不可替代的 | irreplaceable local traditions |
| heritage | /ˈherɪtɪdʒ/ | n. | 遗产 | cultural heritage |
| diversity | /daɪˈvɜːsəti/ | n. | 多样性 | cultural diversity |
| identity | /aɪˈdentəti/ | n. | 身份、认同 | national identity |
| tradition | /trəˈdɪʃn/ | n. | 传统 | local traditions |
| spread | /spred/ | v. | 传播 | spread ideas, music and television |
| enrich | /ɪnˈrɪtʃ/ | v. | 丰富 | cultural enrichment |
| vanish | /ˈvænɪʃ/ | v. | 消失 | vanish with it |
| flourish | /ˈflʌrɪʃ/ | v. | 繁荣、兴旺 | local arts flourish |
| preserve | /prɪˈzɜːv/ | v. | 保护、保存 | preserve local traditions |
| mainstream | /ˈmeɪnstriːm/ | adj. | 主流的 | mainstream culture |
| local | /ˈləʊkl/ | adj. | 当地的 | local communities |
| ancient | /ˈeɪnʃənt/ | adj. | 古老的、古代的 | ancient traditions |
| colonial | /kəˈləʊniəl/ | adj. | 殖民的 | colonial history |
| identity | /aɪˈdentəti/ | n. | 认同、身份 | cultural identity |
🧠 课文理解 Comprehension
1. The writer uses the example of K-pop bands and Hollywood films to show that...
- A. globalisation spreads culture rapidly
- B. only Western culture is popular
- C. Asian music is inferior to Western music
- D. streaming services are unreliable
2. According to Paragraph 3, what is lost when a family bakery is replaced by a fast-food brand?
- A. only the food itself
- B. the recipes and customs tied to the place
- C. nothing important
- D. tourism income
3. Why does the writer mention indigenous languages?
- A. to argue that languages are unimportant
- B. to show how quickly cultural knowledge can disappear
- C. to encourage people to learn Latin
- D. to criticise bilingual education
4. The writer suggests that tourism should be...
- A. banned entirely
- B. managed to showcase local crafts
- C. encouraged to sell souvenirs
- D. restricted to foreign visitors
5. The writer's overall attitude towards globalisation is...
- A. completely opposed
- B. welcoming without concern
- C. accepting of it but protective of local culture
- D. uninterested
✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.
| diversity / heritage / indigenous / identity / preserve / subsidy / tradition / vanish |
- The island's population has a strong sense of cultural ______.
- The government provides a ______ to help theatres stay open.
- Many small languages are in danger of ______ within a generation.
- The old town is protected as a UNESCO World ______ Site.
- The school promotes cultural ______ by celebrating festivals from many countries.
- It is important to ______ historic buildings rather than replace them with modern ones.
- The ______ people of the region have lived here for thousands of years.
- It is a family ______ to have dumplings every New Year's Eve.
✅ 答案 Answers
Comprehension
- A("spread ideas, music and television at an unprecedented speed")
- B("not merely a meal, but the recipes, techniques and customs")
- B("Once a language dies, the poetry, jokes and knowledge stored within it vanish")
- B("managed so that it showcases local crafts")
- C(不拒绝全球化,但保护本土传统)
Vocabulary
- identity 2. subsidy 3. vanishing 4. Heritage 5. diversity 6. preserve 7. indigenous 8. tradition
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