阅读理解 These days we hear lots of nonsense about the "great classless society". The idea that the twentieth century is the age of the common man has become one of the great cliches of our time. The same old arguments are put forward in evidence. Here are some of them: monarchy as a system of government has been completely discarded. In a number of countries the victory has been completed. The people rule; the great millennium has become a political reality. But has it? Close examination doesn 't bear out the claim.
It is a fallacy to suppose that all men are equal and that society will be leveled out if you provide everybody with the same educational opportunities. The fact is that nature dispenses brains and ability with a total disregard for the principle of equality. The old rules of the jungle, survival of the fittest, and might is right are still with us. The spread of education has destroyed the old class system and created a new one. Rewards are based on merit. For aristocracy "read meritocracy"; in other respects, society remains unaltered: the class system is rigidly maintained.
What is the first thing people do when they become rich? They use their wealth to secure the best possible opportunities for their children, to give them a good start in life. For all the lip service we pay to the idea of equality, we do not consider this wrong in the western world. Private schools offer unfair advantages over state schools are not banned. In this way, the new meritocracy can perpetuate itself to a certain extent: an able child from a wealthy home can succeed far more rapidly than his poorer counterpart. Wealth is also used indiscriminately to further political ends. It would be almost impossible to become the leader of a democracy without massive financial backing. Money is as powerful a weapon as ever it was.
In societies wholly dedicated to the principle of social equality, privileged private education is forbidden. But even here people are rewarded according to their abilities. In fact, so great is the need for skilled workers that the least able may be neglected. Bright children are carefully and expensively trained to become future rulers. In the end, all political ideologies boil down to the same thing: class divisions persist whether you are ruled by a feudal king or an educated peasant.
单选题 1.According to the author, the same educational opportunities can't get rid of inequality because______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】根据题干关键词定位到文章第二段第一、二句。由关键信息nature dispenses brains and ability with a total disregard for the principle of equality(上天赋予的智慧和能力完全无视平等原则)可知，人的智力和能力是不平等的根源，故B项“自然界在分配人智慧和能力时不会顾及平等”符合题意。A项“适者生存的原则存在”、C项“物质报酬以真正的能力为基础”和D项“人们可以自由地教育他们的孩子”都不是不平等的根源，故本题选B。
单选题 2.Who can obtain more rapid success?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】根据题干关键词定位到文章第三段第五、六句an able child from a wealthy home can succeed far more rapidly than his poorer counterpart．Wealth is also used indiscriminately to further political ends，由此可知“财富能让一个孩子比同龄的其他孩子更容易成功”，故A项“拥有财富的人”正确。B项“那些头脑最聪明的人”、C项“那些有最好机会的人”和D项“有能力抓住机遇的人”均不符合文意，故本题选A。
单选题 3.New meritocracy can perpetuate itself to a certain extent because______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】根据题干关键词定位到文章第三段。此题针对现象背后的根源提问，即“为什么英才阶层能在一定程度上持续下去”，且其最后一句点出了问题的根源，即“财富无论现在还是过去都是至关重要的”，故A项“财富是一种强大的武器”正确，其强调了财富的重要性。B项“私立学校比公立学校有优势”、C项“人们可以自由选择教育子女的方式”和D项“财富被用于政治目的”均不符合题意，故本题选A。
单选题 4.According to the author, "class divisions" refers to______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】根据题干关键词定位到文章第四段第四句。分析其一、二句可知，教育不是划分阶级的重点，人的能力更为关键。然而由Bright children are carefully and expensively trained to become future rulers可知，能力也需要财富的辅助，因此新的阶级划分在于财富，因此A项“富人和穷人”符合题意。B项“人们有不同的机会”、C项“压迫者和受压迫者”和D项“天才和愚蠢”均不是“阶级划分”的标准，故本题选A。
单选题 5.What is the main idea of this passage?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】文章一开始就批判了“没有阶级”的社会论断，即虽然君主和王权被推翻，但是不公平依然存在。作者在第二段讨论了不公平的原因在于人的能力大小，即能力使人的回报有差异，差异性形成之后教育也会随之产生不同，在此基础上，政治也在不断倾向精英阶层。结合后文可知，这篇文章总体在讨论即使人们受教育机会均等．21世纪阶级依然存在，故A项“20世纪的机会均等并没有摧毁阶级制度”符合文意。B项“平等意味着金钱”、C项“没有无阶级这样的社会”和D项“自然界不能给你一个无阶级的社会”均不符合题意，故本题选A。