单选题 Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are they"ll say, "Success. " The dream of individual opportunity has been home in America since Europeans discovered a " new world" in the Western Hemisphere. Early immigrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur praised highly the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His glowing descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers. In Letters from an American Farmer(1782), he wrote, "We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered and unrestrained, because each person works for himself... We have no princes, for whom we toil, starve, and bleed. We are the most perfect society now existing in the world. " The promise of a land where "the rewards of a man"s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor" drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western territories. Our national mythology is full of illustration of the American success story. There"s Benjamin Franklin, the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for young boys, became America"s best-selling author with rags-to-riches tales. The notion of success haunts us—we spend million every year reading about the rich and famous, learning how to " make a fortune in real estate with no money down, " and " dressing for success. " The myth of success has even invaded our personal relationships—today it"s as important to be "successful" in marriage or parenthoods as it is to come out on top in business. But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to "make it" also knows the fear of failure, because the myth of success inevitably implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the anonymous crowd. Under pressure of the myth, we become indulged in status symbols: we try to live in the "right" neighborhoods, wear the "right" clothes, eat the "right" foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet strive as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：由题干定位至第一段最后一句。上文中作者借用Crevecoeur的笔触对美国梦进行了描述：人们可以自由地通过诚恳与努力获得成功；该句作者又一次引用了他的话，意在说明人们勤劳的回报与他所付出的努力是完全相等的，即人越勤劳，收获就越多，A项符合文意，故为答案。本句中industry指“勤劳的精神”，并不是指“工业或公司”，排除B和D；C项是根据句中step一词而臆造的，排除。