单选题
Social change is more likely to occur in societies where there is mixture of different kinds of people than in societies where people are similar in many ways. The simple reason for this is that there are more different ways of looking at things present in the first kind of society. There are more ideas, more disagreements in interest, and more groups and organizations with different beliefs. In addition, there is usually a greater worldly interest and greater tolerance in mixed societies. All these factors tend to promote social change by opening more areas of life to decision. In a society where people are quite similar in many ways, there are fewer occasions for people to see the need or the opportunity for change because everything seems to be the same. And although conditions may not be satisfactory, they are at least customary and undisputed. Within a society, social change is more likely to occur more frequently and more readily in the material aspects of the culture than in the non-material, for example, in technology rather in values: in what has been learned later in life than what was learned early; in less basic and less emotional aspects of society than in their opposites: in the simple elements rather than in the complex ones: in form rather than in substance; and in elements that are acceptable to the culture rather than in a strange elements. Furthermore, social change is easier if it is gradual. For example, it comes more readily in human relations on a continuous scale rather than one with sharp dichotomies (一分为二).This is one reason why change has not come more quickly to Black Americans as compared to other white counterparts.
单选题
The passage mainly discusses ______. A. two different societies B. the necessity of social change C. certain factors that determine the ease with which social changes occur D. certain factors that promote social change
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】此题为中心思想题。文章第一段和第二段首句说明在什么社会以及在社会的什么方面，social change is more likely to occur。第三段说明循序渐进的social change is easier，然后逐一解释原因。因此可以看出，文章分析易发生社会变化的一些决定因素，所以C是正确答案。
单选题
______ is one of the factors that tend to promote social change. A. Joint interest B. Advanced technology C. Less emotional people D. Difference in points of view
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】根据题中的关键词factors that promote social change找到第一段第六行的“All these factors tend to promote social change…”一句为解题的依据。These factors即指上文提到的“more different way of…”，“more ideas”，“more disagreements in interest”等。将四个选项与这些内容一一对照，即可得出D为正确选项。
单选题
The expression "greater tolerance" (paragraph 1) refer to ______. A. "greater willingness to accept social change" B. "quicker adaptation to changing circumstances" C. "more respect for different beliefs and behavior" D. "greater readiness to agree to different opinions and ideas/
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解此题的关键在于对tolerance一词以及对该词所在上下文的理解。tolerance作“容忍”解。上文提到：社会变化在某些由不同种类的人构成的社会中更易发生，其原因是在这些社会中存在“more ideas”，“more agreements in interest”和“more groups and organizations with different beliefs”。可见这些社会中的人们对一些不同的想法和行为更为容忍，或更为尊重，因此A为正确答案。D错，它的意思是“更乐意赞同不同的意见和想法”。tolerance在意思上与 respect相近，但不能解释为乐意赞同。
单选题
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true? A. Social change tends to meet with greater difficulty in basic and emotional aspects of society. B. Disagreement with and argument about conditions tends to slow down social change. C. Social change is more likely to occur in material aspect of society. D. Social change is less likely to occur in what people learned when they were young.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】为正确选项。A、C和D三个选项内容与原文内容明显相符，而B与第一段内容明显相悖，“disagreement and argument”只会“promote social change”，而不会“slow down social change”，因此B为正确答案。