1006G SPECTACULAR 备考日记 by tequilawine [无]--最初的梦想绝对会到达

tequilawineUID：2702008

1 Too often belligerent motives are ascribed to anyone who suggests the viability of the military option in resolving the international standoff over Iran's nuclear programme.
2 The question is whether a negotiated deal is feasible.
3 It is with this in mind that I oppose the motion.
4 There remain levers, such as biting sanctions, that have yet to be tried.
5 Thus, I believe that maintaining and asserting publicly that military action is an option of last resort is the best hope we have for international security and peace. I have three main reasons for this view.
6 Given continuing Russian reluctance, Chinese indifference and EU apprehension, it seems unlikely that we will see internationally-backed biting sanctions soon, if at all.怎么翻译If at all
7 But even should the opposition somehow succeed in wresting power from the current regime, there has been no indication among some of its leaders that it would curtail Iran's nuclear programme.
8 Should such pressure prove insufficient, and only once all other policy options have been exhausted, the United States could and should launch a punishing strike against Iranian nuclear and military installations.
9 Third, we must weigh the risks of failing to stop Iran's nuclear programme. Should the Iranians acquire a nuclear weapon, or even the ability to quickly assemble one, Iran would dominate the Persian Gulf, threaten moderate Arab regimes, embolden radicals throughout the region, pose an existential threat to Israel and destabilise Iraq.时态怎么不对呀？
10 Not only would such a strike be less effective than one led by the United States, it would yield widespread international condemnation—at least publicly—and could provoke Iranian retaliation against US interests and allies.
11 And while Israel might be more willing to carry out an attack on Iran's facilities, it is not clear whether it has the capability to do so, or whether it could or would act without a green light from the United States.
12 The problems encountered have been due both to Iran's demonstrated ability to consistently avoid serious discussion of its nuclear ambitions while gaining valuable time to press its nuclear program forward, and also to the lack of clear triggers for determined international action in the light of Iran's lack of compliance.
13 Ongoing lack of unity and resolve on the part of the members of the international team facing Iran has played to its clear advantage.

comment:
Everyone should have a attitude about this issue that has bugged the world for a while, I don't know, I only know what I really value most is that the precious peaceful at the moment, and would be better if without Irap and Afghran war.


Should i blame the guy who advocate war action for their imprudence with their seemingly fully evidences? Answer is no. Too often belligerent motives are ascribed to them who suggests the viability of the military option in resolving the international standoff over Iran's nuclear programme. However, the argument in favour of military action is not about what is preferred but rather about what might be necessary. Following that, is three main reasons for this view.

Should i applaud for the guys who are in favor of diplomatic policy to solve it? Me either. As the arguer said, most times military strikes can play a certain role in dealing with states' illegal military-directed nuclear programmes, but only when carried out at an early stage and preferably with the element of surprise. That means, if we set off now, maybe already a little late, far way from stopping the nuclear weapon diffusion. Meantime, we also take into account of the backfire, while the goal of the attack would be not only to cause a setback in its programme, it would also contains turning on the international community to the senseless aggression from USA or Israel.

The real one matters is if we can do it at the worst of time in military strikes without casualties. Our goal is to make a more peaceful world, but to achieve it on the cost of human lives, i think, that is not the mold we want. Sometimes when use our advanced technology to defend ourselves, we also need to consider whether what we done will sow the hatred seed into the human heart, just on that we wanna protect ourselves.

Opition
option
Stikes
strike
Techonolgy
technology

tequilawineUID：2702008

pluka
comment:
Standardized criteria such as income and social status does not guarantee a comforted living, rather, it imposes so much pressure that people get exhausted to be aim-directed or result-oriented.

Ironically, instilled with the conception that all make for some purposes, educators forget the original and ultimate function(if I can call it function) of education: education serves as tool or path in life, yet without some kind of goals.

John Dewey advocated for this idea for years, with little fruition.

It seems all too rare a chance that we can stand sth with no definite destination--though we have to admit that life itself is, actually, without fixed destination.

tequilawineUID：2702008

pluka

COMMENT

I used to be fretted instantaneously at the thought of internet censorship in China, yet somehow this spleen was quenched and seemingly forgotten as the time past. Google’s articulate statement, however, re-arouses the fire. Chinese internet users are amazingly tolerant to the omnipresent censorship that engulfs them online; they shouldn’t be. We read articles on the right of free expression in the Constitution, that might be true: we are able to, indeed, gain freedom to some extend, but only under a confine—a limited realm whose space is under encroachment at any moment and whose authority lies in no its residents’ hand.

Is it justifiable that the government imposes filter system to its people? The answer may well remain to be seen. One relevant factor is the degree of censorship. While it’s understandable that the government conceals certain part(but by no means a big part) of information such as certain upheaval or political or military tensions so as to appease the public and avoid possible turbulence, I deem it ridiculous and nonsensical to hide everything that in their eyes undermine the authority and infallibility of the government.
For one thing, though ostensible forbiddance may squash the words spoken from the mouth, it hardly suppress the words flow from the heart. Instead of concession, internet users vented their spleen in various approaches and developed another set of language in contest with these banned phrases. It has even became a kind of satire that jokes on many government-launched bans or softwares enter the daily online activity such as hexie or lvbaniang（= =）. Those jokes can be fun, but they originate from the abnormal current in which people have no way to express their ire other than through black humor. How far are we from the normal? Many people, Google included, awaite for an answer.

tequilawineUID：2702008

pluka
comments
Even though today’s society becomes more and more open and tolerant for career women, those who want to climb up to the pinnacle of their career are charged for a high price of possible collapse in family. Other than frequently mentioned reasons such as sexism or psychological imbalance, the thinking pattern developed during the competitive and pressing professional life serves as a cause for the unhappy family life. Plunging themselves into the rapids of modern life where the efficiency and results are highlightened, career women may unconsciously lose their softness and compromise dealing with family conflicts.

qxn_1987
Working-women, as far as I am concerned, endure higher pressure and more embrassment than men, who must assume the role of employees in their companies, as well as the role of mothers and wives in their homes, and what’s more, who are expected to perform well in all the roles.
with a reluctance to（不情愿地，勉强地）march into长驱直入

tequilawineUID：2702008

adammaksim(adam)
"War is the bleeding politics, and politics is a war with no blood."
“No permanent enemies, no permanent friends, only permanent interests."

pluka
taking a intransigent stance and continuing procession towords the nuclear weapon.

海王泪(Kon)
As far as I am concerned, the opposition’s opening remarks is more convinced.
  敛寒影
Mr Wald think over this problem from wider prospect,he argued that military action is necessary with the reason that we are running out of both time and options,and we should not give Iron time to build up fortifications and defences.
    123runfordream(C。)
Nuclear again. 几个词表达意思，有种厌恶等等。

tequilawineUID：2702008

prohibit
[pro·hib·it || prəʊ'hɪbɪt /prə-]

v.
禁止, 阻止

bill of rights [简明英汉词典]
n.权利和自由法案,<美>美国宪法前十条修正案

deplore
[de·plore || dɪ'plɔː]

v.
悲悼, 悔恨, 哀叹

founding father [简明英汉词典]
n. 开国者；创立人

unmentionable  [ʌn'menʃənəbl;ʌn'menʃənəbəl]   

adj. 不可挂齿的，不堪出口的

n. 不堪出口之物，内衣，裤子

syphilis
[syph·i·lis || 'sɪfɪlɪs]

n.
梅毒

parlor
[par·lor || 'pɑrlə(r) /'pɑː-]

n.
客厅; 休息室, 接待室; 起居室; 店

illiterate
[il'lit·er·ate || 'ɪ'lɪtərət /-trət]

n.
文盲

adj.
不识字的; 没受教育的

hot potato [简明英汉词典]
n.困境, 烤马铃薯

conglomerate
[con·glom·er·ate || kən'glɒməreɪt]

n.
集成物, 砾岩, 集块

v.
使聚集; 凝聚成一团

protestant  ['prɔtistənt]   

n. 抗议者

adj. 抗议的

Protestant

n. 新教徒

adj. 新教徒的

and the like [简明英汉词典]
adv.等等
be second to [简明英汉词典]
次于...
second to none [简明英汉词典]
adv.首屈一指
Bible is second to none among the books that have influenced the thought and ideals of the Western world.

confine  [kən'fain]   

vt. 限制，闭居

n. 边界，约束，范围，限制

tonic
[ton·ic || 'tɑnɪk /-'tɒn-]

n.
补药; 主音; 生发水; 浊音

adj.
滋补的; 强直的; 使人精神振奋的; 声调的

cringe
[krɪndʒ]

v.
畏缩; 奉承; 阿谀

1 Main thesis, as summed up by George Zook: "Schools should accept religion and the churches as a factor of social life, just as much as they do the waterworks."
2 We who write this report are members of religious bodies to which we owe allegiance by conviction. For us, the democratic faith . . . rests on a religious conception of human destiny. . . . [We] believe that the American people are deeply, though not always articulately, conscious of a religious heritage to whose central values they want their children to be committed. . . .
3 we believe it is the business of public education to impel the young toward a vigorous, decisive personal reaction to the challenge of religion




Comments:
Religions resurge. I think most populace will be in doubt that if we still need these kinds of philosophy nowadays with the reason that we have been cultivated by the science-oriented for generations and people got more freedom without religion bondage.

Put our dubious assumption aside, let’s see why the arousing religion become so stringent now? Look around. Answer is palpable: our world are falling apart, with disintegration of loyalties, the revival of ancient prejudices, the increase of frustrations, the eclipse of hope…., religion at its best has always been an integrating force, a spiritual tonic for a soul racked by fear and cringing in weakness. No wonder although the proposal of advocating religion is too hot a potato, our council still tried to pull it out of mire.

However, the real question rest on how can we utilize our effective ways to achieve this goal, how far should we dig into interfering this domain. It takes to get the leverage between them complicated and broad comprehension of diverse religions. Any tiny and slight incline will incite a surge in the sea.

Interfereing
interfering

tequilawineUID：2702008

pluka

[It deserves study] conducted with at least as much respect as is given to the great secular classics（世俗经典）, and devoid of arbitrary interpretations to the same extent. . . .
Result: a generation of religious illiterates—who perhaps know how to read & write, but not how, why or what to believe.
Its imperfections will not be lessened by an attitude of splendid isolation on the part of intellectuals, or of indifference on the part of those responsible for the education of youth."


COMMENT

It seems the religion has fallen prey of the wide-accepted materialism and the worship of scienific truth. As a student in a country which boasts little religious tradition, I seldom feel the difference between an adherent of God and an atheist: in fact, I see no pious adherent at all.

This situation surely have something to do with the education. A seemingly self-evident explanation goes that religion and science are incompatible: they contrast and refute each other, fighting for the unique status in people's belief. And as science and technology have consistently beening proved their unparalleled capability in creating a world available to more convenience, their status rises dramatically. Anything that is considered harmful to the development of technology is considered deleterious to the development of society, and in the same way, human's living. "The unscientific" is now frequently labeled as lie or fault, an interpretation that sometimes mix the conception of unscience and pseudoscience. While the pseudoscience are rightly condemned, perhaps we can be more tolerant to those "unscience".

The religion falls into the category of unscience, of course. No pastor can show that God exists, no scientist can prove otherwise either. As for me, I prone to an agnostic stance: religion fails to convince me the deity, yet science in the meantime should not bother to protrude his nose into the business of belief. As being written in the constitution, citizens enjoy the religious freedom, and education should not undermine this freedome by prejudice in deciding its curriculum.

Though in support of the committee's proposal, I'm kinda skeptical about the pragmatic things. Are they able to transform a deep-rooted education tradition into a religious flexible one? That must be a tempest storm across the whole country. Whether they can stand up to it remains to be seen.



zhengchangdian(正常点)


Two forces——Government and Religion——always want to have power over the other one in spite of their endless fights with null results. In fact, religion has served as both a sword and a shield for the establishment of glory dignity and the security of abosolute adherence to the government.  For instance, the famous Cardinal Bishop is just a spokesman of the Roman King.

tequilawineUID：2702008

pleading
['plead·ing || 'plɪːdɪŋ]

n.
辩论, 诉讼手续, 辩解

ridiculously
[rɪ'dɪkjələslɪ /-kjʊl-]

adv.
可笑地; 荒谬地

paltry
[pal·try || 'pɔːltrɪ]

adj.
不足取的, 琐碎的

wangle
[wan·gle || 'w&aelig;ŋgl]

n.
哄骗, 假造

v.
挤出, 虚饰, 哄骗; 设法脱身, 使诡计

beret
[be·ret || 'bereɪ]

n.
贝雷帽

mandate
[man·date || 'm&aelig;ndeɪt]

n.
命令, 要求, 指令

v.
委任统治

autonomous
[au·ton·o·mous || ɔː'tɒnəməs]

adj.
自治的; 自主的; 自治权的; 独立存在的

opportunist
[op·por'tun·ist || ‚ɑpər'tjuːnɪst /‚ɒpə't-]

n.
机会主义者, 投机取巧者

peddle
[ped·dle || 'pedl]

v.
叫卖, 挨户兜售; 宣扬, 散播; 挑卖, 沿街叫卖

sugar daddy
n.
〈美俚〉甜爹(施恩或送贵重礼品以博取年轻女人欢心的老色迷)

puppetry
['pʌpɪtrɪ]

n.
木偶戏; 木偶; 木偶制作; 傀儡

evangelize (Amer.)
[e'van·ge·lize || -laɪz]

v.
传福音; 使信基督教; 传福音, 传道

groundbreaking
D.J.['ɡraund,breikiŋ]
K.K.['ɡraʊnd,brekɪŋ]
adj. 开创性的，突破性的

swollen
[swol·len || 'swəʊlən]

adj.
膨胀的; 涨起的; 浮肿的; 浮夸的

troupe
[truːp]

n.
一团, 剧团, 一班

accordion
[ac·cor·di·on || ə'kɔːdjən]

n.
手风琴

urine
[u·rine || 'jʊrɪn /'jʊər-]

n.
小便, 尿

behead
[be·head || bɪ'hed]

v.
斩首, 砍头

blaspheme
[blas·pheme || bl&aelig;s'fiːm]

v.
亵渎; 辱骂; 咒骂; 说亵渎的话; 口出恶言

bedevil
[be·dev·il || bɪ'devl]

v.
虐待; 使痛苦; 使苦恼

be wary of
v.
提防

wrangle
[wran·gle || 'r&aelig;ŋgl]

n.
口角, 吵嘴

v.
争论, 口角, 争吵; 辩驳, 放牧

pluralism
['plu·ral·ism || 'plʊrəlɪzm /-'plʊər-]

n.
兼职, 兼任; 多元论; 多重性

1 That comparatively paltry sum was all the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) was able to wangle from the massive $787 billion stimulus package President Obama signed into law in February. 这句话结构有点晕。
2 Wouldn’t it have been more provocative, inspiring, and educational if they’d simply said, “No, thanks”?
3 Instead, arts advocates responded like every other underachieving opportunist peddling its troubled assets to federal sugar daddies
4 If the virtue of the arts is their capacity to inspire economic activity, it’s not clear why they deserve special consideration over, say, restaurants or fashion designers.
5 We produce more novels, more slasher flicks, and more neo-classical lawn sculpture than any other civilization in the history of the world.
6 In such a competitive, oversupplied environment, is a lack of funding really the primary reason that not every Midwestern dance troupe is thriving?为什么用到装呢？
7 And given the glut of cultural opportunities that now bedevil us, its status as a nurturer of the arts is less pronounced than its status as an agent of state-sponsored moral engineering.


Comment
I am vague about what's the viewpoint of the author. I mean he doesn't agree with the transformation in NEA during these years and also disdained the meek artists who simply go to ask for more money. However the stance author stands on is fairly object and guided us into a self-support artist inner world.

Almost everyone at present who were in art domain said that the biggest problem at the moment is not a lack of money but a lack of good support from the country. And art relating world just disappearing in our sight because of our ignorance and highbrow.

With the start-off of the NEA, we can know that more people have the wish to give themselves more free access to all kinds of arts and we can inspire our talent people and give us more opportunities to create more splendid work. Ironically, situation changed and the original creed on it have vanished, disappearing and desperate truth.

tequilawineUID：2702008

pluka

Even if we don’t axe（削减经费） the NEA in favor of the National Endowment for Snooty Designer Labels and Fancy San Francisco Restaurants, shouldn’t we at least be urging it to expand its support of the kinds of live theater—comedy clubs, strip clubs, WWE wrestling—that are likely to draw bigger, more economically exploitable crowds than a bilingual puppetry adaptation of Don Quixote?（反驳经济是评价艺术赞助的指标）
comment
In my opinion, this essay articulated three point.
adammaksim(adam)
I should say this is such a eloquent essay with strong logic and full of pungent ironies.
" Don't bent yourself for bread." form a great Chinese poet.
It just remind me of a traditional proverb that"Gifts blind the eyes".
underprivileged

tequilawineUID：2702008

你说的ISSUE我写了，可是发现我在COMMENTS的句子怎么也没用几个，文章里总重复用那几句话，               
还有就是我感觉我试了你说的20问，总感觉没话说，不知道怎么回事
这一阶段的总结

tequilawineUID：2702008

famed
[feɪmd]

adj.
着名的, 闻名的

set out
1 动身, 出发
2 着手, 开始
3 安排, 组织

unaltered  

adj.
未被改变的, 依然如此的, 不变的

comedian
[co·me·di·an || kə'miːdjən]

n.
喜剧演员

pester
[pes·ter || 'pestə(r)]

v.
使烦恼, 纠缠

subordinate
[sub·or·di·nate || sə'bɔːdnɪt]

v.
使居下位, 使服从

adj.
下级的, 附属的, 次要的

souped-up
提高效率

furnish
[fur·nish || 'fɜrnɪʃ /'fɜːn-]

v.
供应; 装备; 提供

neuron
['nʊrɑn /'njʊər-]

n.
神经单位; 神经元

in collaboration with
adv.
与…合作

legerdemain
[leg·er·de·main || ‚ledʒə(r)də'meɪn]

n.
戏法; 诡辩; 骗术

elucidate
[e·lu·ci·date || ɪ'luːsɪdeɪt]

v.
阐明; 说明

exert
[ex·ert || ɪg'zɜːt]

v.
发挥, 施以影响, 运用

deploy
[de·ploy || dɪ'plɔɪ]

v.
使展开; 使疏开; 展开; 部署

1 In 1979 Francis Crick, famed co-discoverer of DNA’s structure, published an article in Scientific American that set out a wish list of techniques needed to fundamentally improve understanding of the way the brain processes information.
2 The advent of what is known as optogenetics has even captured popular attention because of its ability to alter animal behavior
3 Such feats have inspired much public comment, including a joke made by comedian Jay Leno in 2006 about the prospect for an optogenetically controlled fly pestering George W. Bush.
4 Controlling a subordinate or a spouse with a souped-up laser pointer may be essential for science-fiction dystopia and late-night humor, but in reality optogenetics has emerged as the most important new technology for providing insight into the numbingly complex circuitry of the mammalian brain.什么意思呀？
5 Molecular legerdemain can also manipulate just a subset of one type of neuron or control a circuit between groups of selected neurons in, say, the limbic system and others in the cortex.完全看不懂。

Comment:
Pretty hard is it for me to understand. I know that our author that want to express the new area that already are happening in our medical area. And we can conclude this must be beneficial for our humane world in the future.
Truth confirms our assumption. We acknowledged that new technology for providing insight into the numbingly complex circuitry of the mammalian brain. Moreover, the most virtue of the technology is that instead of disturbing all the neurons, it mainly focused on the ill ones, that means bring less byproduct.
And as we probe into this area more and more, we can expect that one day we can know more about the mold our brains works as a calculated machine. Without any dubious claim, this high science will get us more chance to deal with psychiatry diseases.
What intrigues me most is that what does the last words mean, you know , the author said, is that an indication or admonition for us?

tequilawineUID：2702008

warfare  

n.
战争, 冲突, 作战

do away with
废除, 消灭, 去掉
beef up

〈口〉加强,补充(人数、兵力)等

repel
[re·pel || rɪ'pel]

v.
击退; 拒绝; 驱除; 排斥; 使人厌恶, 使人反感; 抵抗; 相互排斥

1 One common way proposed to do this is with anatomic bomb.
2 The result is an extremely strong field—one that delivers enough pressure when it hits the steel to punch out the material next to it, leaving a hole behind.
3 Lasers are one alternative.

Comment:
Coin has two sides. Nothing is extremely bad or good only depending on us how to utilize the tool, for worse or better, it’s your choice, not the objective matter. And we learned a good instance form the article.

To exert the value of this mechanism, our lab team has successfully transformed this military weapon into an industrial machine, ironically in fact, we create one thing for massacre at the beginning, thank goodness, on the behalf of interest our scientist tried their best to accomplish the gigantic invention. Marvelous at propel of money.

Maybe, we should concentrate more on the skill itself. Comparing with present ways, it has obvious advantage. It curtail the expanse of the product expense and working time, in addition, precise it is more than others that promise us more efficiency.

Consontrate
concentrate

tequilawineUID：2702008

fed up with
受够了…

unscrupulous  [ʌn'skru:pjuləs;ʌn'skru:pjələs]   

adj. 肆无忌惮的，不道德的

1 The answer is that both are true. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" is true over the short term and "Out of sight, out of mind" is true over the long term.
2 The purpose of the example is to show that contradictions, inconsistencies, and paradoxes are perfectly acceptable.
3 For life is complex. It can never be reduced to a simple statement. It cannot be described in black and white terms. When we grasp this truth, it helps us to see things differently. We learn to question, probe, and search for the bigger picture. Even the greatest of minds will occasionally slip and fail to see the big picture because they mistakenly believe that contradictions are irreconcilable.
4 Take Euripides (485? ~ 406 BC), for example, he said, "No man on earth is truly free. All are slaves of money or necessity. Public opinion or fear of prosecution forces each one, against his conscience, to conform."
5 The truth is individuality and conformity are merely different sides of the same coin. We cannot have one without the other.
6 What should the goal of our lives be other than being ourselves?
除了做我们自己以外生命的目的还是什么？
7 Although we were all born equal, we were all born different. Although we all share the same fears, feelings, and fancies, we express them differently. Although there may be little difference between one person and another, that little difference is VERY important.
8 For as Hermann Hesse (1877 ~ 1895) wrote, "Every man is more than just himself; he also represents the unique, the very special and always significant and remarkable point at which the world's phenomena intersect, only once in this way and never again."
9 how must we express our uniqueness? Isn't it by conforming to our conscience, conforming to our higher selves, conforming to the person we wish to become, conforming to our dreams, and conforming to our principles? How can we become better than we are until we first become what we are? The key to a successful life is always one of balance. It is no different here. We need to balance conformity with individuality. Both are necessary.
10 Too often we act out of habit.
11 Yes, we need to conform, but not at the price of abandoning reason and common sense.
12 A quote attributed by Robert Green Ingersoll to Ferdinand Magellan (1480 ~ 1521) is a example, which writes, "The church says the earth is flat; but I have seen its shadow on the moon, and I have more confidence even in a shadow than in the Church."
13 When you dare to be different, expect to be assailed.
14 Besides, it is as Mignon Mclaughlin (b. 1915) said, "Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
15 When doing so, keep in mind the words of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 ~ 1900): "The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
16 I'll end with another Nietzsche quote, "You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist." So, dare to be yourself!

comment:
I have to say this is my essay. The article just for me illustrates how to write a passage. It is very elegant and clear, without any difficulties in understanding strange words or exorbitant sentences. Quoting from some celebrities, it just redounds the cogency of the stance.

Stop the cliché on that. Maybe we should focus on the essay itself. I am dubious that how the author elicits the topic by the adduction, maybe more convincing but a little confusing for me, with relevant relationship. What I mean is not only whether its viewpoint concentrates on conformity versus individuality but also how the writer expresses his attitude logically.

In order to figure it out, I read it several times, finally, got the clue. Author structured his essay with outline of both sides---conformity and individuality, then illustrate it at both sides, to explain why we need both. Instead of unilateral inference, we got across-the-board overlook of this issue without subjective judgment. That’s the point. For life is complex.

We learn to question, probe, search for the bigger picture. When we grasp the truth, it helps us to see things differently. Here comes good lesson.
Relavent
relevant

tequilawineUID：2702008

authority figures权威人物
be plead with恳求
番茄斗斗
Comment:
This article is well-established with depth and fluency, illustrating an extensive topic,Corfirmity and Individuality, with cases right to the point.
the tone of this article is of a little preachment.

IG:
I once read an experiment that if you show an American an image of a fish tank, the American will usually describe the biggest fish in the tank and what it is doing. If you ask a Chinese person to describe a fish tank, the Chinese will usually describe the context in which the fish swim. These sorts of experiments have been done over and over again, and the results reveal the same underlying pattern. Americans usually see individuals; Chinese and other Asians see contexts. And I think here contexts mean conformity.