2006年Text 1

　　In spite of "endless talk of difference," American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. There is "the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse, and the casualness and absence of consumption" launched by the 19th--century department stores that offered "vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite." these were stores "anyone could enter, regardless of class or background. This turned shopping into a public and democratic act." The mass media, advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization.

　　Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing for the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that today's immigration is neither at unprecedented level nor resistant to assimilation. In 1998 immigrants were 9.8 percent of population; in 1900, 13.6 percent .In the 10 years prior to 1990, 3.1 immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10years prior to 1890, 9.2 for every 1,000. Now, consider three indices of assimilation -language, home ownership and intermarriage.

　　The 1990 Census revealed that "a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English ‘well' or ‘very well' after ten years of residence." The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English. "By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families." Hence the description of America as a "graveyard" for languages. By 1996 foreign-born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a home ownership rate of 75.6 percent, higher than the 69.8 percent rate among native-born Americans.

　　Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics "have higher rates of intermarriage than do U.S -born whites and blacks." By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian-American women are married to non-Asians.

　　Rodriguez note that children in remote villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet "some Americans fear that immigrant living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation's assimilative power."

　　Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething anger in America? Indeed. It is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against America's turbulent past, today's social induces suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment.

　　22. According to the author, the department stores of the 19th century

　　[A] played a role in the spread of popular culture.

　　[B] became intimate shops for common consumers.

　　[C] satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite.

　　[D] owed its emergence to the culture of consumption

　　[答案] A

　　[解題思路]

　　文章第一段中談到"the casualness and absence of consumption" launched by the 19th--century department stores that offered "vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite, these were stores anyone could enter, regardless of class or background. This turned shopping into a public and democratic act" (19世紀(jì)開始百貨商店倡導(dǎo)的"消費(fèi)文化"深深地吸引著人們，這些百貨商店"環(huán)境舒適、商品琳瑯滿目，而不是那種迎合精英階層的精品商店"，它們"允許任何人的光臨，而并不區(qū)分人們的階層和背景)，因此由于商店的商品豐富且對待所有人不分高低貴賤都一視同仁，人們購買的東西同一化、進(jìn)而衣食穿著都趨于相似，可見百貨商店在促進(jìn)大眾文化傳播中起到了重要的作用。B選項的錯誤原因在于百貨商店不是針對普通老百姓的精品店，而是面對社會各階層的大眾商店。C選項的錯誤在于真正滿足知識精英階層需求的是迎合其口味的精品店，而非百貨商店。D選項的錯誤在于顛倒因果關(guān)系，事實(shí)上19世紀(jì)百貨商店的興起是消費(fèi)文化出現(xiàn)的原因，而非其結(jié)果。

　　[題目譯文]

　　作者認(rèn)為19世紀(jì)的百貨商店

　　[A] 對大眾文化的傳播起到了作用

　　[B] 成為了迎合普通消費(fèi)者的小商店

　　[C] 滿足了知識精英們的要求

　　[D] 其出現(xiàn)要?dú)w功于消費(fèi)文化

　　24. Why are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5?

　　[A] To prove their popularity around the world.

　　[B] To reveal the public's fear of immigrants.

　　[C] To give examples of successful immigrants.

　　[D] To show the powerful influence of American culture.

　　[答案] D

　　[解題思路]

　　仔細(xì)閱讀第五段便可以發(fā)現(xiàn)，阿諾·施瓦辛格和加思·布魯克斯的例子是用來反證緊隨其后的一段引文，即"some Americans fear that immigrant living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation's assimilative power" (一些美國人卻在擔(dān)心，生活在美國的移民不知為何能不受這個國家同化能力的影響)。也就是說，連世界各地最偏遠(yuǎn)地區(qū)的孩子們都知道美國娛樂界的大牌明星，這足以證明美國文化的巨大影響力，因此D選項正確。A選項的表述其本身內(nèi)容也是正確的，但是并不符合題意。B選項的錯誤原因在于該例子是對B表述的反證，即美國人無需擔(dān)心移民不能融入其文化。C選項的錯誤在于這篇文章并沒有提及阿諾·施瓦辛格和加思·布魯克斯是移民(盡管至少常識告訴我們阿諾·施瓦辛格是移民自奧地利，而且他也非常成功。這說明在做題是必須緊扣文章，不能完全依賴常識)。

　　[題目譯文]

　　文章第五段為什么要提及阿諾·施瓦辛格和加思·布魯克斯?

　　[A] 為了證明他們在全世界的知名度

　　[B] 為了說明公眾對于移民的恐懼

　　[C] 為了給出成功移民的例子

　　[D] 為了顯示美國文化的強(qiáng)大影響力

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