2015同等学力英语阅读练习(19)

　　Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal--or at least many parts of it have. In some ways, however, very little has changed, particularly where attitudes are concerned. Ideas about social class--whether a person is "working-class" or "middle-class"--are one area in which changes have been extremely slow.

　　In the past, the working-class tended to be paid less than middle-class people, such as teachers and doctors. As a result of this and also of the fact that workers’ jobs were generally much less secure, distinct differences in life-styles and attitudes came into existence. The typical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then, it was widely believed, having given his wife her "housekeeping", would go out and squander(浪费) the rest on beer and betting.

　　The stereotype ( 陈腔滥调) of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth. He was—and still is--inclined to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house of these provided him and his family with　security. Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity (or the education and training) to make such long-term plans.

　　Nowadays, a great deal has changed. In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much, if not more, than their middle-class supervisors. Social security and laws to improve century, have made it less necessary than before to worry about　"tomorrow". Working-class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority they had in the past. In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle-classes to feel slightly ashamed(惭愧的)of their position.

　　The changes in both life-styles and attitudes are probably most easily seen amongst younger people. They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes, they spend their money in having a good time, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary. There seems to be much less difference than in precious generations. Nevertheless, we still have a wide gap between the well-paid (whatever the type of job they may have and the low-paid. As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new conflicts and jealousies will emerge, or rather that the old conflicts will re-appear,but between different groups.

　　1. Which of the following is seen as the cause of class differences in the past?

　　[A] Life style and occupation.

　　[B] Attitude and income.

　　[C] Income and job security.

　　[D] Job security and hobbies.

　　2. The writer seems to suggest that the description of______is closer to truth.

　　[A] middle-class ways of spending money

　　[B] working-class ways of spending the weekend

　　[C] working-class drinking habits

　　[D] middle-class attitudes

　　3. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a typical feature of the middle-class?

　　[A] Desiring for security.

　　[B] Making long term plans.

　　[C] Having priorities in life.

　　[D] Saving money.

　　4. Working-class people’s sense of security increased as a result of the following factor except

　　[A] better social security

　　[B] more job opportunities

　　[C] higher living standard

　　[D] better legal protection

　　5. Which of the following statement is incorrect?

　　[A] Changes are slowly taking place in all sectors of the British society.

　　[B] The gap between working-class and middle-class young people is narrowing.

　　[C] Different in income will remain but those in occupation will disappear.

　　[D] Middle-class people may sometimes feel inferior to working-class people.

　　参考答案：

　　1.B 信息明示题。本题问过去阶级差别的原因。文章第一一段指出，在最近25年里，英国社会有了很大改变，但是在态度方面几乎没有转变。接着第二段开始具体说明过去工人阶级的状况，首先就是收入较低，因此本题选B。其他选项中的security在第二段中的描述是工人工作的实际状态，而life style，hobbies都是收入较低而导致的结果，因此都不正确。

　　2.A 信息明示题。在第二段的最后提到工人阶级花钱的方式，他们在给了妻子家用的开销后，就会把一周的其余收入在周五晚上挥霍到啤酒和赌博之中。而在第三段的首句就看出，中产阶级的人处理钱的方式可能更接近事实。接下来详细说明了中产阶级是如何处理钱的，他们的眼光更为长远，认为买房可以给他和家人提供安全感。而工人阶级很少有人能够有这样的长远汁划，因此本题选A。

　　3.D 综合推断题。本题是一个反向题，要求找出哪项不是中产阶级的典型特点。从第三段中产阶级通过买房获得安全感可以看出，他们是希望寻求安全感的，因此排除A。第三段提到中产阶级眼光长远，最后也指出工人阶级很少有这样的长远计划，因此排除B。丽选项C在文章一开始就有提及，人们对待工人阶级和中产阶级的态度是不同的，第四段中间也提到工人阶级逐渐失去过去那种自卑感。而文中并没有强调中产阶级就不存钱，因此选D。

　　4.D 综合推断题。本题也是反向题，要求选出非事实。倒数第二段指出，现在的情况有了很大转变。很多情况下，工人和中产阶级的管理人员挣得…样多，社会安全保障也提高了，没有必要再像以前那样为“明天”而担心。由此可以推断出，更好的社会安全感、更多的工作机会、更高的生活标准都是工人阶级安全感提高的事实原因。而文中并没有特别说明工人的法律保护问题，因此选D。

　　5.A 综合推断题。本题要求找出不正确的说法，可以采用排除法。最后一段的第二句指出，他们(工人阶级和中产阶级的年轻人)在音乐欣赏和选择服装的品味方面都很相似，他们花钱娱乐，同时如果必要的话，也都会为度假和长远计划而存钱，故B正确。接着话锋一转，收入的差别还是存在的，只要这种差距还存在，就会有新的冲突和嫉妒出现，甚至还会出现以前的那些冲突，因此C也是正确的。选项D在文中的倒数第二段最后一句有提及，在近几年中产阶级甚至有点为他们的处境而感到羞愧，因此D也是正确的。故本题选A。