单选题
With the extension of democratic rights in the first half of the nineteenth century and the ensuing decline of the Federalist establishment, a new conception of education began to emerge. Education was no longer a confirmation of a pre-existing status, but an instrument in the acquisition of higher status. For a new generation of upwardly mobile students, the goal of education was not to prepare them to live comfortably in the world into which they had been born, but to teach them new virtues and skills that would propel them into a different and better world. Education became training; and the student was no longer the gentleman-in-waiting, but the journeyman apprentice for upward mobility. In the nineteenth century a college education began to be seen as a way to get ahead in the world. The founding of the land-grant colleges opened the doors of higher education to poor but aspiring boys from non-Anglo-Saxon, working-class and lower-middle-class backgrounds. The myth of the poor boy who worked his way through college to success drew millions of poor boys to the new campuses. And with this shift, education became more vocational, its object was the acquisition of practical skills and useful information. For the gentleman-in-waiting, virtue consisted above all in grace and style, in doing well what was appropriate to his position; education was merely a way of acquiring polish. And vice was manifested in gracelessness, awkwardness, in behaving inappropriately, discourteously, or ostentatiously. For the apprentice, however, virtue was evidenced in success through hard work. The requisite qualities of character were not grace or style, but drive, determination, and a sharp eye for opportunity. While casual liberality and even prodigality characterized the gentleman, frugality, thrift, and self-control came to distinguish the new apprentice. And while the gentleman did not aspire to a higher station because his station was already high, the apprentice was continually becoming, striving, struggling upward. Failure for the apprentice meant standing still, not rising.
单选题
Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph? A. Democratic ideas started with education. B. Federalists were opposed to education. C. New education helped confirm people's social status. D. Old education had been in tune with hierarchical society.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】本题为细节判断题。根据文章第一段的第一句“With the extension of democratic rights in the first half of the nineteenth century and the ensuing decline of the Federalist establishment，a new conception of education began to emerge.”可知是民主权利的广泛传播带来了新的教育观念的产生，而A项颠倒了二者的先后顺序，应排除，另该句只是说“新”的教育观念是在联邦主义机构削弱的情况下产生的，由此只能得出新的教育观念与联邦主义有些冲突，但并不能得出联邦主义者反对整个教育结论，因此B项错误；根据第一段第二句“Education was no longer a confirmation of a pre-existing status, but an instrument in the acquisition of higher status.”可知教育不再是对人们先前存在的地位的确定，而成了获得更高地位的手段，C项与其文意相悖，因此不正确；通过该句“不再”(no longer)可以推断出，从前的教育可以确定人们的社会地位，因此D项为正确答案。
单选题
The difference between "gentleman-in-waiting" and "journeyman" is that ______. A. education trained gentleman-in-waiting to climb higher ladders B. journeyman was ready to take whatever was given to him C. gentleman-in-waiting belonged to a fixed and high social class D. journeyman could do practically nothing without education
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】本题为细节题。根据文章第一段末句“Education became training; and the student was no longer the gentleman-in-waiting, but the journeyman apprentice for upward mobility. ”可知教育变成了培训，学生也不再是等在那里的绅士，而是要提升自己经济地位的熟练学徒。由此可知，“学徒”与“绅士”的不同就是，绅士不用将教育当成工具去努力争取社会地位，因此可以推测出绅士们属于较高的社会阶层，所以C为正确选项；文中提到教育训练学徒们而非绅士爬上更高的阶梯，所以A项错误；而B项和D项在文中没有相关论述，故正确答案为C。
单选题
According to the second paragraph, land-grant colleges ______. A. belonged to the land-owning class B. enlarged the scope of education C. was provided only to the poor D. benefited all but the upper class
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】本题为细节题。根据文章第二段第二句话“The founding of the land-grant colleges opened the doors of higher education to poor but aspiring boys from non-Anglo-Saxon, working-class and lower-middle-class backgrounds.”可知国家赠予土地的学校的建立为那些来自非盎格鲁·萨克逊血统的、工人阶级和中下层背景的贫穷但有抱负的孩子们敞开了享受高等教育的大门。由此可知，B项为正确答案，第一段虽提到为穷人提供了更多的机会，却并没有将上层人士排除在外，也没有说只有穷人才能从中获益，因此C项和D项错误；A项说的土地所有者阶级是由land-grant colleges的字面意思得来，文中并未提及，所以正确答案为B。
单选题
Which of the following was the most important for a "gentleman-in-waiting"? A. Manners. B. Education. C. Moral. D. Personality.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】本题为细节题。根据文章第三段第一句“For the gentleman-in-waiting，virtue consisted above all in grace and style, in doing well what was appropriate to his position; education was merely a way of acquiring polish.”可知对于绅士们来说，美德首先包括了高雅和风度，与其身份地位相符的行为方式，教育仅仅是学会高雅的一种方式而已，由此可见，B项可以选排除；在绅士们眼中，A项“行为举止”是最重要的，C项和D项在原文中没有明显的论述，故正确答案为A。
单选题
The best title for the passage is ______. A. Education and Progress B. Old and New Social Norms C. New Education. Opportunities for More D. Demerits of Hierarchical Society