The United States perceives itself to be a middle-class nation. However, middle class is not a real designation, nor does it carry privileges (特权). It is more of a perception, which probably was as true as it ever could be right after World War Ⅱ. The economy was growing, more and more people owned their own homes, workers had solid contracts with the companies that employed them, and nearly everyone who wanted a higher education could have one. Successful people enjoyed upward social mobility. They may have started out poor, but they could become rich. Successful people also found that they had greater geographic mobility. In other words, they found themselves moving to and living in a variety of places.
The middle class collectively holds several values and principles. One strong value is the need to earn enough money to feel that one can determine one"s own economic fate. In addition, middle-class morality (道德观) embraces principles of individual responsibility, importance of family, obligations to others, and believing in something outside oneself.
But in the 1990s, those in the middle class found that there was a price for success. A U.S. News & World Report survey in 1994 indicated that 75 percent of Americans believed that middle class families could no longer make ends meet. Both spouses now worked, as did some of the children; long commutes became routine; the need for child care put strains on the family; and public schools were not as good as they once were. Members of the middle class were no longer financing their lifestyles through earnings but were using credit to stay afloat. The understanding of just what middle class meant was changing.
单选题
One important middle-class value is that ______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第二段第二句话“One strong value is the need to earn enough money to feel that one can determine one"s own economic fate.”可知,中产阶级的一个重要观念是赚取足够的钱,这样可以决定自己的经济命运。
单选题
In the second paragraph, the word "collectively" means ______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第二段第一句话“The middle class collectively holds several values and principles.”可知,中产阶级共同拥有几个观念和原则,collectively“共同地;全体地”,四个选项:hesitatingly“犹豫不决地”;unknowingly“不知不觉地”;weakly“软弱地;无力地”;commonly“通常地;一般地,大多数人的”。
单选题
The 1994 survey showed most Americans thought the middle class ______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 根据最后一段第二句话“A U.S. News & World Report survey in 1994 indicated that 75 percent of Americans believed that middle class families could no longer make ends meet.”可知,1994年的美国新闻与世界报道调查称,75%的美国人认为中产阶级家庭将不能再收支相抵。