单选题 .  Max Weber was one of the most important German intellectuals of his day. He believed that sociological explanations must derive from an understanding of why people choose the actions they do. This belief differed sharply from Durkheim's view that society and individuals should be studied at different levels. Weber acknowledged that there are social facts that must be analyzed using scientific methods, but he argued that social facts are the total result of individual actions.
    The stress on individual action led Weber to look beyond objective behavior and to focus on people's subjective beliefs, attitudes, values, and motives. According to Weber, sociologists must interpret, not just observe. They must try to see actions from the point of view of the actor. This approach he called verstehen, which in German means emphatic understanding. Weber stressed that verstehen could be systematic. It did not reduce sociological knowledge simply to matter of opinion. But explanations, in his view, had to go beyond the objective counting of who in society has which social attributes (社会属性). Explanations, according to Weber, must consider the subjective thoughts and feelings that lead to particular actions.
    Like Marx and Durkheim, Weber wanted to understand the rapid social changes occurring in his time. To Weber the most fundamental trend in the modern era was an increasing rationalization (理性化) of social action and social institutions. More specifically, Weber saw the history of Western society in terms of a shift from traditional orientations, to more rational orientations.
    Weber believed that the general trend toward increased rationalization could be seen in many aspects of social life. One was the rise of science as the principal method of acquiring knowledge. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries people were increasingly coming to believe in science, to consider its rational, systematic methods superior to simple intuition and common sense. Increased rationalization could also be seen in the growth of government bureaucracies (官僚制度), where laws are the basis of authority. A third area where the rise of rationalization could be seen was in the development of capitalism. Capitalism requires people to analyze markets, maximize the efficiency of production, calculate returns on investments, and create financial institutions to support economic expansion, all things that demand a logical, reasoned approach to the world.1.  What is the passage mainly about? ______
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】 马克斯·韦伯是他那个时代最重要的德国学者之一。他认为社会学解释一定要源于对“人们为何会选择某种行为方式”的理解。他的这一观点与涂尔干“社会和个人应该分开研究”的看法截然不同。韦伯承认，有些社会现象一定要采用科学的方法进行分析，但是他认为，社会现象完全是个人行为的结果。
   对个人行为的强调使韦伯透过人的客观行为将精力集中在研究人们的主观信仰、态度、价值观和动机上。根据韦伯的观点，社会学家不仅要观察，还必须要阐释。他们必须尝试从行为者的角度看待某种行为。他把这种方法叫做verstehen，这个词在德语中表示一种“拟情的理解”。韦伯强调，这种方法可以系统化。社会学知识并没有因此而降格为观点。但是在他看来，阐释必须要超越“社会中的某个人具有某种社会属性”这样的客观描述。韦伯认为，阐释一定要考虑导致特定行为的人的主观想法和感受。
   与马克思和涂尔干一样，韦伯也想理解自己所处的那个时代的社会剧变。对韦伯来说，现代社会最基本的趋势就是社会行为和社会制度日趋理性化。更具体些来讲，在韦伯看来，西方社会的历史在从注重传统向注重理性过渡。
   韦伯认为，社会生活的许多方面都可以体现出总的趋势是向更加理性的方向发展。其一就是科学作为获取知识主要手段的兴起。到18、19世纪，人们越来越相信科学，认为科学所具有的理性的、系统化的方法要优于简单的直觉和常识。政府官僚制度的发展也能体现日益发展的理性化，法律成为权威的基础。第三个能够体现理性化得到发展的领域是资本主义的发展。资本主义要求人们分析市场、实现生产效率的最大化、计算投资回报、创建金融机构以支持经济扩张，所有这一切都需要在面对世界时拥有一个符合逻辑而又理性的方法。
   【说明文：著名的社会学家——马克斯·韦伯】
   第一段：简要概括这位社会学家的观点。
   第二段：他主张社会学研究要透过客观行为研究主观想法和感受。
   第三段：他认为自己所处的时代的特点就是日趋理性化。
   第四段：他认为社会生活的许多方面都体现了理性化的发展趋势。
   根据题干信息the passage is primarily concerned with可知解答本题需通观全文。
   文章首先介绍了马克斯·韦伯，对其观点进行概括，指出他的观点与另一位著名社会学家涂尔干的不同之处，接下来文章阐释了韦伯强调主观思想和感受，认为要深入地理解和阐释个人行为就必须超越客观研究。第三、第四段介绍了韦伯对于他所生活的时代的分析。指出18、l9世纪的主题就是社会各方面向理性化过渡。可见文章一直都是在介绍马克斯·韦伯的一些社会学观点。故选A。其他选项皆不能概括文章的主要内容。