单选题 Although they could earn much money, businessmen used to be regarded as______with a lower social status even than that of farmers.
A. miserly B. arduous C. eminent D. generous

【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】句意：尽管商人挣钱很多，但在过去他们常被当作是贪婪之徒，地位甚至比农民还要低。although引导让步状语从句，含有句意转折。从感情色彩上判断，此处对商人的描绘略含贬义。miserly吝啬的，贪婪的。arduous努力的；费力的。eminent杰出的，显著的。generous慷慨的，大方的。故选A。