2018年6月大学英语六级听力常考时文：Folk Cultures

英语自学网

　　1.How is order maintained in folk culture? Through sanctions based on the
...
        　　2.What is a popular culture? A large heterogeneous group which is often
constantly changing and highly ..
        　　3.What is one of the reasons why the popular are replacing the folk in many
coutries? The popular item is more ... or ... produced.
        　　A folk culture is a small isolated, cohesive, conservative, nearly
self-sufficient group that is homogeneous in custom and race with a strong
family or clan structure and highly developed rituals. Order is maintained
through sanctions based in the religion or family and interpersonal.
Relationships are strong. Tradition is paramount, and change comes infrequently
and slowly. There is relatively little division of labor into specialized
duties. Rather, each person is expected to perform a great variety of tasks,
though duties may differ between the sexes. Most goods are handmade and
subsistence economy prevails. Individualism is weakly developed in folk cultures
as are social classes. Unaltered folk cultures no longer exist in industrialized
countries such as the United States and Canada. Perhaps the nearest modern
equivalent in Anglo America is the Amish, a German American farming sect that
largely renounces the products and labor saving devices of the industrial age.
In Amish areas, horse drawn buggies still serve as a local transportation device
and the faithful are not permitted to own automobiles. The Amish's central
religious concept of Demut "humility", clearly reflects the weakness of
individualism and social class so typical of folk cultures and there is a
corresponding strength of Amish group identity. Rarely do the Amish marry
outside their sect. The religion, a variety of the Mennonite faith, provides the
principal mechanism for maintaining order.
        　　By contrast a popular culture is a large heterogeneous group often highly
individualistic and a pronounced many specialized professions. Secular
institutions of control such as the police and army take the place of religion
and family in maintaining order, and a money-based economy prevails. Because of
these contrasts, "popular" may be viewed as clearly different from "folk". The
popular is replacing the folk in industrialized countries and in many developing
nations. Folk-made objects give way to their popular equivalent, usually because
the popular item is more quickly or cheaply produced, is easier or time saving
to use or leads more prestige to the owner.