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Passage 1With her magical first novel, Garcia joins a growing chorus of talented Latino writers whosevoices are suddenly reaching a far wider, more diverse audience. Unlike Latin American writerssuch as Colombia′s Gabriel Garcia Marquee of Peru′s Mario Vargas Llosa--whose translatedworks became popular here in the 1970s--these authors are writing in English and drawing theirthemes from two cultures. Their stories, from "Dreaming in Cuban" to Julia Alvarez′s "How theGarcia Girls Lost Their Accent" and Victor Villasenor′s "Rain of Gold", offer insight into themixture of economic opportunity and discrimination that Latinos encounter in the United States."Garcia Girls" for example, is the story of four sisters weathering their transition from wealthyDominicans to ragtag immigrants, "We didn′ t feel we had the beat the United States had to offer,"one of the girls says, "We had only second-hand stuff, rental houses in one redneck Catholicneighborhood after another, clothes at Round Robin, a black and white TV afflicted with wavylines." Alvarez, a Middlebury College professor Who emigrated from Santo Domingo when she was10, says being an immigrant has given her a special vantage point: "We travel on that borderbetween two worlds and we can see both points of view."With few exceptions, such as Chicano writer Rudolfo Anaya, many Hispanic-Americans havebeen writing in virtual obscurity for years, nurtured only by small presses like Houston′s ArtePublico or the Bilingual Press in Tempe, Ariz. Only with the recent success of Sandra Cisneros′s "Woman Hollering Creek" and Oscar Hijuelos′s prize-winning novel, "The Mambo Kings PlaySongs of Love," have mainstream publishers begun opening door to other Latinos. Julie Grau,Cisneros′s editor at Turtle Bay, says, "Editors may now be looking more carefully at a book thatbefore they would have deemed too exotic for the general readership."But if Villasenor′s experience is any indication, some editors are still wary. In 1989, Putnamgave Villasenor a $75,000 advance for the hardcover rights to "Rain of Gold," the compelling sagaof his family′s migration from Mexico to California. But the editors, says Villasenor, wanted majorchanges: "They were going to destroy the book. It′ s nonfiction; they wanted to publish it as a novel.And they wanted to change the title to ′Rio Grande,′ which sounded like some old John Waynemovie." After a year of strained relations, he mortgaged his house, borrowed his mother′s lifesavings and bought back the rights to the book that had taken 10 years to write.In frustration, Villasenor turned to Arte Publico. In the eight months since its release, "Rain ofGold" has done extremely well, considering its limited distribution; 20,000 copies have been sold."If we were a mainstream publisher, this book would have been on The New York Times best-sellerlist for weeks," says Arte Pulico′ s Nicolas Kanelos. The author may still have a shot: he has sold thepaperback rights to Dell. And he was just named a keynote speaker (with Molly Ivins and NormanSchwarzkop0 for the American Booksellers Association convention in May. Long before theygained this sort of attention, however, Villasenor, Cisneros and other Latino writers were quietlybuilding devoted followings. Crossing the country, they read in local bookstores, libraries andschools. Their stories, they found, appeal not only to Latinos--who identify with them, but to asurprising number of Anglos, who find in them a refreshingly different perspective on American life.Still, there are unusual pressures on these writers. Cisneros vividly recalls the angst she went throughin writing the final short stories for "Woman Hollering": "I was traumatized that it was going to beone of the first Chicano books ′out there.′ I felt I had this responsibility to my community torepresent us in all our diversity."What advantage do the new generation Latino writers have over Latin American writersaccording to the passage
A.The former are able to write in two different languages.B.The former can translate the
Passage 1With her magical first novel, Garcia joins a growing chorus of talented Latino writers whosevoices are suddenly reaching a far wider, more diverse audience. Unlike Latin American writerssuch as Colombia′s Gabriel Garcia Marquee of Peru′s Mario Vargas Llosa--whose translatedworks became popular here in the 1970s--these authors are writing in English and drawing theirthemes from two cultures. Their stories, from "Dreaming in Cuban" to Julia Alvarez′s "How theGarcia Girls Lost Their Accent" and Victor Villasenor′s "Rain of Gold", offer insight into themixture of economic opportunity and discrimination that Latinos encounter in the United States."Garcia Girls" for example, is the story of four sisters weathering their transition from wealthyDominicans to ragtag immigrants, "We didn′ t feel we had the beat the United States had to offer,"one of the girls says, "We had only second-hand stuff, rental houses in one redneck Catholicneighborhood after another, clothes at Round Robin, a black and white TV afflicted with wavylines." Alvarez, a Middlebury College professor Who emigrated from Santo Domingo when she was10, says being an immigrant has given her a special vantage point: "We travel on that borderbetween two worlds and we can see both points of view."With few exceptions, such as Chicano writer Rudolfo Anaya, many Hispanic-Americans havebeen writing in virtual obscurity for years, nurtured only by small presses like Houston′s ArtePublico or the Bilingual Press in Tempe, Ariz. Only with the recent success of Sandra Cisneros′s "Woman Hollering Creek" and Oscar Hijuelos′s prize-winning novel, "The Mambo Kings PlaySongs of Love," have mainstream publishers begun opening door to other Latinos. Julie Grau,Cisneros′s editor at Turtle Bay, says, "Editors may now be looking more carefully at a book thatbefore they would have deemed too exotic for the general readership."But if Villasenor′s experience is any indication, some editors are still wary. In 1989, Putnamgave Villasenor a $75,000 advance for the hardcover rights to "Rain of Gold," the compelling sagaof his family′s migration from Mexico to California. But the editors, says Villasenor, wanted majorchanges: "They were going to destroy the book. It′ s nonfiction; they wanted to publish it as a novel.And they wanted to change the title to ′Rio Grande,′ which sounded like some old John Waynemovie." After a year of strained relations, he mortgaged his house, borrowed his mother′s lifesavings and bought back the rights to the book that had taken 10 years to write.In frustration, Villasenor turned to Arte Publico. In the eight months since its release, "Rain ofGold" has done extremely well, considering its limited distribution; 20,000 copies have been sold."If we were a mainstream publisher, this book would have been on The New York Times best-sellerlist for weeks," says Arte Pulico′ s Nicolas Kanelos. The author may still have a shot: he has sold thepaperback rights to Dell. And he was just named a keynote speaker (with Molly Ivins and NormanSchwarzkop0 for the American Booksellers Association convention in May. Long before theygained this sort of attention, however, Villasenor, Cisneros and other Latino writers were quietlybuilding devoted followings. Crossing the country, they read in local bookstores, libraries andschools. Their stories, they found, appeal not only to Latinos--who identify with them, but to asurprising number of Anglos, who find in them a refreshingly different perspective on American life.Still, there are unusual pressures on these writers. Cisneros vividly recalls the angst she went throughin writing the final short stories for "Woman Hollering": "I was traumatized that it was going to beone of the first Chicano books ′out there.′ I felt I had this responsibility to my community torepresent us in all our diversity."Which of the following is true of Garcia as a Latino writer according to the passage
A.She offered insight into the confrontations between two cultures.B.She emigrated from Santo Domingo when she w
Passage 1With her magical first novel, Garcia joins a growing chorus of talented Latino writers whosevoices are suddenly reaching a far wider, more diverse audience. Unlike Latin American writerssuch as Colombia′s Gabriel Garcia Marquee of Peru′s Mario Vargas Llosa--whose translatedworks became popular here in the 1970s--these authors are writing in English and drawing theirthemes from two cultures. Their stories, from "Dreaming in Cuban" to Julia Alvarez′s "How theGarcia Girls Lost Their Accent" and Victor Villasenor′s "Rain of Gold", offer insight into themixture of economic opportunity and discrimination that Latinos encounter in the United States."Garcia Girls" for example, is the story of four sisters weathering their transition from wealthyDominicans to ragtag immigrants, "We didn′ t feel we had the beat the United States had to offer,"one of the girls says, "We had only second-hand stuff, rental houses in one redneck Catholicneighborhood after another, clothes at Round Robin, a black and white TV afflicted with wavylines." Alvarez, a Middlebury College professor Who emigrated from Santo Domingo when she was10, says being an immigrant has given her a special vantage point: "We travel on that borderbetween two worlds and we can see both points of view."With few exceptions, such as Chicano writer Rudolfo Anaya, many Hispanic-Americans havebeen writing in virtual obscurity for years, nurtured only by small presses like Houston′s ArtePublico or the Bilingual Press in Tempe, Ariz. Only with the recent success of Sandra Cisneros′s "Woman Hollering Creek" and Oscar Hijuelos′s prize-winning novel, "The Mambo Kings PlaySongs of Love," have mainstream publishers begun opening door to other Latinos. Julie Grau,Cisneros′s editor at Turtle Bay, says, "Editors may now be looking more carefully at a book thatbefore they would have deemed too exotic for the general readership."But if Villasenor′s experience is any indication, some editors are still wary. In 1989, Putnamgave Villasenor a $75,000 advance for the hardcover rights to "Rain of Gold," the compelling sagaof his family′s migration from Mexico to California. But the editors, says Villasenor, wanted majorchanges: "They were going to destroy the book. It′ s nonfiction; they wanted to publish it as a novel.And they wanted to change the title to ′Rio Grande,′ which sounded like some old John Waynemovie." After a year of strained relations, he mortgaged his house, borrowed his mother′s lifesavings and bought back the rights to the book that had taken 10 years to write.In frustration, Villasenor turned to Arte Publico. In the eight months since its release, "Rain ofGold" has done extremely well, considering its limited distribution; 20,000 copies have been sold."If we were a mainstream publisher, this book would have been on The New York Times best-sellerlist for weeks," says Arte Pulico′ s Nicolas Kanelos. The author may still have a shot: he has sold thepaperback rights to Dell. And he was just named a keynote speaker (with Molly Ivins and NormanSchwarzkop0 for the American Booksellers Association convention in May. Long before theygained this sort of attention, however, Villasenor, Cisneros and other Latino writers were quietlybuilding devoted followings. Crossing the country, they read in local bookstores, libraries andschools. Their stories, they found, appeal not only to Latinos--who identify with them, but to asurprising number of Anglos, who find in them a refreshingly different perspective on American life.Still, there are unusual pressures on these writers. Cisneros vividly recalls the angst she went throughin writing the final short stories for "Woman Hollering": "I was traumatized that it was going to beone of the first Chicano books ′out there.′ I felt I had this responsibility to my community torepresent us in all our diversity."What can be drawn from Villasenor′ s experience
A.Some editors of mainstream publishers are critical.B.Many Latino writers were mostly favored by small presses.C."Rain of Gold" was going to be one
Passage 1With her magical first novel, Garcia joins a growing chorus of talented Latino writers whosevoices are suddenly reaching a far wider, more diverse audience. Unlike Latin American writerssuch as Colombia′s Gabriel Garcia Marquee of Peru′s Mario Vargas Llosa--whose translatedworks became popular here in the 1970s--these authors are writing in English and drawing theirthemes from two cultures. Their stories, from "Dreaming in Cuban" to Julia Alvarez′s "How theGarcia Girls Lost Their Accent" and Victor Villasenor′s "Rain of Gold", offer insight into themixture of economic opportunity and discrimination that Latinos encounter in the United States."Garcia Girls" for example, is the story of four sisters weathering their transition from wealthyDominicans to ragtag immigrants, "We didn′ t feel we had the beat the United States had to offer,"one of the girls says, "We had only second-hand stuff, rental houses in one redneck Catholicneighborhood after another, clothes at Round Robin, a black and white TV afflicted with wavylines." Alvarez, a Middlebury College professor Who emigrated from Santo Domingo when she was10, says being an immigrant has given her a special vantage point: "We travel on that borderbetween two worlds and we can see both points of view."With few exceptions, such as Chicano writer Rudolfo Anaya, many Hispanic-Americans havebeen writing in virtual obscurity for years, nurtured only by small presses like Houston′s ArtePublico or the Bilingual Press in Tempe, Ariz. Only with the recent success of Sandra Cisneros′s "Woman Hollering Creek" and Oscar Hijuelos′s prize-winning novel, "The Mambo Kings PlaySongs of Love," have mainstream publishers begun opening door to other Latinos. Julie Grau,Cisneros′s editor at Turtle Bay, says, "Editors may now be looking more carefully at a book thatbefore they would have deemed too exotic for the general readership."But if Villasenor′s experience is any indication, some editors are still wary. In 1989, Putnamgave Villasenor a $75,000 advance for the hardcover rights to "Rain of Gold," the compelling sagaof his family′s migration from Mexico to California. But the editors, says Villasenor, wanted majorchanges: "They were going to destroy the book. It′ s nonfiction; they wanted to publish it as a novel.And they wanted to change the title to ′Rio Grande,′ which sounded like some old John Waynemovie." After a year of strained relations, he mortgaged his house, borrowed his mother′s lifesavings and bought back the rights to the book that had taken 10 years to write.In frustration, Villasenor turned to Arte Publico. In the eight months since its release, "Rain ofGold" has done extremely well, considering its limited distribution; 20,000 copies have been sold."If we were a mainstream publisher, this book would have been on The New York Times best-sellerlist for weeks," says Arte Pulico′ s Nicolas Kanelos. The author may still have a shot: he has sold thepaperback rights to Dell. And he was just named a keynote speaker (with Molly Ivins and NormanSchwarzkop0 for the American Booksellers Association convention in May. Long before theygained this sort of attention, however, Villasenor, Cisneros and other Latino writers were quietlybuilding devoted followings. Crossing the country, they read in local bookstores, libraries andschools. Their stories, they found, appeal not only to Latinos--who identify with them, but to asurprising number of Anglos, who find in them a refreshingly different perspective on American life.Still, there are unusual pressures on these writers. Cisneros vividly recalls the angst she went throughin writing the final short stories for "Woman Hollering": "I was traumatized that it was going to beone of the first Chicano books ′out there.′ I felt I had this responsibility to my community torepresent us in all our diversity."What did the new generation Latino writers do to get their works known to the public
A.They avoided writing those too exotic for readers.B.They revised their works as required by press.C.They trans
Passage 2Scientists have been surprised at how deeply culture--the language we speak, the values weabsorb--shapes the brain, and are rethinking findings derived from studies of Westerners. To takeone recent example, a region behind the forehead called the medial prefrontal cortex supposedlyrepresents the self: it is active when we ( "we" being the Americans in the study) think of our ownidentity and traits. But with Chinese volunteers, the results were strikingly different. The "me"circuit hummed not only when they thought whether a particular adjective described themselves, butalso when they considered whether it described their mother. The Westerners showed no suchoverlap between self and mom. Depending whether one lives in a culture that views the self asautonomous and unique or as connected to and part of a larger whole, this neural circuit takes onquite different functions."Cultural neuroscience," as this new field is called, is about discovering such differences. Someof the findings, as with the "me/mom" circuit, buttress longstanding notions of cultural differences.For instance, it is a cultural cliche that Westerners focus on individual objects while East Asians payattention to context and background (another manifestation of the individualism-collectivism split).Sure enough, when shown complex, busy scenes, Asian-Americans and non-Asian-Americansrecruited different brain regions. The Asians showed more activity in areas that processfigure-ground relations--holistic context--while the Americans showed more activity in regions thatrecognize objects.Psychologist Nalini Ambady of Tufts found something similar when she and colleagues showeddrawings of people in a submissive pose (head down, shoulders hunched) or a dominant one (armscrossed, face forward) to Japanese and Americans. The brain′s dopamine-fueled reward circuitbecame most active at the sight of the stance--dominant for Americans, submissive for Japanese--that each volunteer′s culture most values, they reported in 2009. This raises an obviouschicken-and-egg question, but the smart money is on culture shaping the brain, not vice versa.Cultural neuroscience wouldn′t be making waves if it found neurobiological bases only forwell-known cultural differences. It is also uncovering the unexpected. For instance, a 2006 studyfound that native Chinese speakers use a different region of the brain to do simple arithmetic (3 + 4)or decide which number is larger than native English speakers do, even though both use Arabicnumerals. The Chinese use the circuits that process visual and spatial information and planmovements (the latter may be related to the use of the abacus). But English speakers use languagecircuits. It is as if the West conceives numbers as just words, but the East imbues them withsymbolic, spatial freight. (Insert cliche about Asian math geniuses.) "One would think that neuralprocesses involving basic mathematical computations are universal," says Ambady, but they "seemto be culture-specific."Not to be the skunk at this party, but I think it′ s important to ask whether neuroscience revealsanything more than we already know from, say, anthropology. For instance, it′s well known thatEast Asian cultures prize the collective over the individual, and that Americans do the opposite.Does identifying brain correlates of those values offer any extra insight After all, it′s not as ifanyone thought those values are the result of something in the liver.Ambady thinks cultural neuro-science does advance understanding. Take the me/mom finding,which, she argues, "attests to the strength of the overlap between self and people close to you incollectivistic cultures and the separation in individualistic cultures. It is important to push theanalysis to the level of the brain." Especially when it shows how fundamental cultural differencesare--so fundamental, perhaps, that "universal" notions such as human rights, democracy, and thelike may be no such thing.which of the following is a significant breakthrough achieved by cultural neuroscienceaccording to the passage
