red； unpredictable and contradictory；” and is in a constant state of change； Peng said。
［D］“Americans have a terrible need to find out who is right in an argument。” said Peng。 “The problem is that at the interpersonal level； you really don’t need to find the truth； or may be there isn’t any。” Chinese people； said Peng； are far more content to think that both sides have flaws and virtues； because they have a holistic awareness that life is full of contradictions。 They do far less blaming of the individual than do Americans； he added。
［E］“It can hardly be right to move to the middle when you have just read evidence for a less plausible view。 Yet that is what the Chinese subjects did；”said Peng。 He believes that this tendency to find the middle way has hampered Chinese efforts to seek out scientific truth through aggressive argumentation； the classic Western method for forging a linear path through contradictory information； which results in identifying right and wrong answers。
［F］His findings go far toward explaining why American cultures seem so contentious and Chinese cultures so passive； when pared to each other。 More importantly； the research opens the way for the peoples of the East and the West to learn from each other in fundamental ways。 The Chinese could learn much from Western methods for determining scientific truth；and Americans could profit enormously from the Chinese tolerance for accepting contradictions in social and personal life。 said Kaiping Peng； a former Beijing scholar； who is now a UC Borkeley assistant professor of psychology。
［G］pared to this angry； blaming American stance； the Chinese were paragons of promise； finding fault on both sides and looking for solutions that moved both sides to the middle。 In tests of scientific thinking； however； the Chinese came up short。 Asked to determine which statement was true—whether； for instance； smoking makes people gain or lose weight—Chinese respondents took the middle road； even when they believed one statement to be less true than another。
答案及解析
1。 F。文章开头即指明中西文化宛如地球的两个端点，并讲述了Berkeley 教授关于中西文化差异的观点。［F］部分“His findings”正好与［B］部分的“discovered”相呼应，补充说明Berkeley 教授这一发现的研究意义。
2。 D。前文提出了Berkeley 教授的发现后，后3段则通过彭开平对中国人和美国人在人际关系方面的不同态度进行比较分析，对应2段最后一句“the chinese could learn much from Western…in social and personal life”。
3。 A。在分析中国人和美国人在处理人际关系方面的不同观点后，作者随即给出一个例子加以说明“In studies of interpersonal argument for example…”与［D］段中提及的interpersonal level 相对应，以此展开中美两国人在此level 上的不同看法。
4。 G。上一段举例表明美国人在人际关系中互相指责，第5段话作为对比，显示了中国人的中庸之道。“pared to this angry”承接第4段中“American were nonpromising blaming one side…in dealing with the conflict。”
5。 E。第5段中肯定了中国人在处理人际关系中的优势后，作者随即指出其在Scientific thinking 上中庸主义的劣势，从末段中hamper 可看出，作者认为在科学问题上也用中庸这种方法是不行的，因此此段应接第5段后。
中心思想
本文论述了中美文明在社会关系和科学问题上的差异，美国人在人际关系中比较好斗，而中国人倾向寻求折中的解决方案，在科学问题中，中国人也经常采用中间路线，美国人的直线前进的方法往往可以辨明正确和错误的答案，作者主张生活中采用中国方式，科学上采用美国方式。
译文
美国人哀悼的时候穿黑衣服，中国人则穿白色衣服。在西方人的眼里龙是怪物，中国人则把龙看作是神的象征；中西方文化宛如地球的两个端点。目前，加利福尼亚大学的心理学教授Berkeley发现中西方文化的差异关键在于推理和发现真理方法的不同。
他的发现进一步说明了中西方文化相比较的时候为什么美国文化如此受争议而中国文化如此消极。更重要的是，这个研究开创了中西方相互学习的基本途径，一位前北京学者彭开平（他目前是Berkeley教授心理学的副教授）说，中国可以从西方检验科学真理的方法上学到很多，美国也可以从中国在社会和个人生活方面接受矛盾的忍耐中受益颇多。
彭开平说，美国人极需要在争论中找出谁是正确的。问题是在人际关系中，你没有必要去找真理，或许根本就不存在真理。彭开平还说，中国人则认为争论双方都有缺点和优点，因为他们总的意识是生活充满着矛盾。他接着说，中国人比美国更少地去责备个人。
例如，在人际关系争议的研究中，当主题是处理来自母女之间或学生与学校之间冲突的矛盾时，彭开平发现美国人在处理冲突中不会妥协，会责备一方（通常是母亲一方），原因是要求一方做出改变而得到解决而不是妥协。
与充满愤怒责备的美国人相比较，中国人则充满中庸之道，他们会找各自的错误，寻求一个双方都能接受的解决方法。然而在科学问题上，中国人显示了其劣势。当被问及哪个表述是正确的时候，比如，吸烟可以让人增肥还是减肥，中国人的回答是折中主义，即使他们认为其中一个表述不比另一个表述更有道理。
彭开平说，当你仅仅看到一个极不具说服力的观点的证据时就采取折中主义是错误的，然而中国人就是这样做的。他认为折中主义的趋势妨碍了中国人通过激烈的争论去寻找科学真理，而争论是在矛盾信息中创造直线前进的经典的西方方法，可以区分正确和错误的答案。
彭开平说，美国人认为最高明、最复杂的推理是西方的辩证思维模式。这种模式的推理是由正题推出反题，进而推出合理性。彭开平说，在中国的智慧寓言中，人们不会试图通过矛盾去解决问题，而是遵循一个文化传统，那就是现实是“多层次的、不可预测和充满矛盾的”，并且是不断变化的。
二
［A］ Any number of things can damage a work of art。 Smog eats away at stone and metal。 Insects chew wood。 Moisture causes wood and canvas to swell； shrink and finally rot。 For one art show； a painting was flown from England to Rome。 During the flight； the canvas shrank so much that the paint lost its grip and began peeling。 When the box was opened in Rome； there was a halfbare painting——and a pile of tiny colored flakes。
［B］ Paintings on wood are then carried into a boxcarsized room。 The door is sealed shut。 For 24 hours； a deadly gas seeps into all the cracks in the wood to kill hidden bugs and their eggs。 Paintings on torn canvas go to a room where new cloth backings are glued and ironed on。 Finally the paintings are ready to be given new life by one of the restorers。
［C］On the ground floor of a fivestory building in Rome； Italy； a leadaproned man carefully places a 400yearold painting on a table。 Then he steps back and flips the switch of a 50；000volt Xray machine。 Nearby； another painting is being wheeled into a special oven。 Elsewhere the buzz of a power saw is heard from behind a closed door。 Two workers are cutting the back off a 500yearold wood panel painting。
［D］Doctor Urbani remembers；“The painting was rushed to us。 It looked hopeless。 But we never give up on a case。” After months of slow； careful work； every piece of paint had been puzzled back together and glued on a new canvas。 The job was so well done that no damage could be seen。
［E］No wonder they did harm。 They often cleaned paintings with strong black soap； or scrubbed them with raw onions and green apples。 Instead of just touching up damaged spots； most early restorers painted over them with a heavy hand。 Sometimes they even changed the picture。
［F］Such things happen every day at Rome’s Institute of Restoration。 Headed by Doctor Giovanui Urbani； the men and women here work at keeping works of art in good health。 In terms of art treasures； Italy is one of the richest countries in the world。 Yet until 1939； when Italy’s government founded the Institute； the country’s museums had to hire private restorers for cleaning and repair jobs。 Says Doctor Urbani； “Most of the restorers did not have proper training。 They often did more harm than good。”
［G］When a painting arrives at the art hospital； it goes to the laboratory； where scientific work is done。 Infrared and ultraviolet photographs are taken。 These photographs make it possible to see through the thin top coats of paint to find out if the painting has been touched up or painted over in the past。 Newer coats of paint stand out as dark spots against older coats of paint。 If there seems to be a different picture beneath the one showing on the surface； the painting is finally Xrayed。
答案及解析
1。 F。 开篇的第一段向人们展示了一家“艺术品医院”内的三幅场景，那么这家“艺术”品医院究竟做的是什么，