In the past, American families tended to be ().
A.quite large.
B.quite small.
C.small.
D.medium-sized.
Living alone has become more acceptable in American society.In the past people sometimes think those who lived alone were a little strange.These days,however,several of the most popular TV shows tell the story of men and women who can't meet "the right person" and who plan to be single forever.Many such single people (especially women) feel that they are more free to pursue (追求) their careers (事业) than those who are married.In a way these people are married to their jobs.
1.About 23 million people over the age of 21 were not married in America by 1996.
A.T
B.F
2.Most of men usually get married at the age of 27 in America.
A.T
B.F
3.In the past,people thought it was impossible to live alone.
A.T
B.F
4.Some people in America wouldn't like to get married,because they can't meet "the right person".
A.T
B.F
5.More and more people in the U.S.choose not to marry.
A.T
B.F
American Dreams
There is a common response to America among foreign writers:the US is a land of extremes where the best of things qre just as easily found as the worst.This is a cliche(陈词滥调).
In the land of black and white,people should not be too surprised to find some of the biggest gaps between the rich and the poor in the world.But the American Dream offers a way out to everyone.(46) No class system or govemment stands in the way.
Sadly,this old argument is no longer true.Over the past few decades there has been a fundamental shift in the structure of the American economy.
The gap between the rich and the poor has widened and widened.(47)
Over the past 25 years the median US family income has gone up 18 per cent.For the top 1 per cent,however,it has gone up 200 per cent.Twenty-five years ago the top fifth of Americans had an average income 6.7 times that of the bottom fifth.(48)
Inequalities have grown worse in different regions.In California,incomes for lower class families have fallen by 4 per cent since 1969.(49) This has led to an economy hugely in favor of a small group of very rich Americans.The wealthiest 1 per cent of households now control a third of the national wealth.There are now 37 million Americans living in poverty.At 12.7 per cent of the population,it is the highest percentage in the developed world.
Yet the tax burden on America’s rich is falling,not growing.(50) There was an economic theory holding that the rich spending more would benefit everyone as a whole.But clearly that theory has not worked in reality.
A.Nobody is poor in the US.
B.The top 0.01 per cent of households has seen its tax bite fall by a full 25 percentage points since 1980.
C.For upper class families they have risen 41 per cent.
D.Now it is 9.8 times.
E.As it does so,the possibility to cross that gap gets smaller and smaller.
F.All one has to do is to work hard and climb the ladder towards the top.
For the past several decades, it seems there's been a general consensus on how to get ahead in America: Get a college education, find a reliable job, and buy your own home. But do Americans still believe in that path, and if they do, is it attainable? The most recent National Journal poll asked respondents about the American dream, what it takes to achieve their goals, and whether or not they felt a significant amount of control over their ability to be successful. Overwhelmingly, the results show that today, the idea of the American dream—and what it takes to achieve it—looks quite different than it did in the late 20th century. By and large, people felt that their actions and hard work—not outside forces—were the deciding factor in how their lives turned out. But respondents had decidedly mixed feelings about what actions make for a better life in the current economy. In the last seven years, Americans have grown more pessimistic about the power of education to lead to success. Even though they see going to college as a fairly achievable goal, a majority—52 percent—think that young people do not need a four-year college education in order to be successful. Miguel Maeda, 42, who has a master's degree and works in public health, was the first in his family to go to college, which has allowed him to achieve a sense of financial stability his parents and grandparents never did. While some, like Maeda, emphasized the value of the degree rather than the education itself, others still see college as a way to gain new perspectives and life experiences. Sixty-year-old Will Fendley, who had a successful career in the military and never earned a college degree, thinks "personal drive" is far more important than just going to college. To Fendley, a sense of drive and purpose, as well as an effective high-school education, and basic life skills, like balancing a checkbook, are the necessary ingredients for a successful life in America. 51.It used to be commonly acknowledged that to succeed in America, one had to have _____.
A.an advanced academic degree
B.an ambition to get ahead
C.a firm belief in their dream
D.a sense of drive and purpose
52.What is the finding of the latest National Journal poll concerning the American dream_____
A.More and more Americans are finding it hard to realize.
B.It remains alive among the majority of American people.
C.Americans' idea of it has changed over the past few decades.
D.An increasing number of young Americans are abandoning it.
53.What do Americans now think of the role of college education in achieving success_____
A.It still remains open to debate.
B.It has proved to be beyond doubt.
C.It is no longer as important as it used to be.
D.It is much better understood now than ever.
54.How do some people view college education these days_____
A.It promotes gender equality.
B.It needs to be strengthened.
C.It adds to cultural diversity.
D.It helps broaden their minds.
55.What is one factor essential to success in America, according to Will Fendley_____
A.A desire to learn and to adapt.
B.A strong sense of responsibility.
C.A willingness to commit oneself.
D.A clear aim and high motivation.
The most recent National Journal poll asked respondents about the American dream, what it takes to achieve their goals, and whether or not they felt a significant amount of control over their ability to be successful. Overwhelmingly, the results show that today, the idea of the American dream—and what it takes to achieve it—looks quite different than it did in the late 20th century.
By and large, people felt that their actions and hard work—not outside forces—were the deciding factor in how their lives turned out. But respondents had decidedly mixed feelings about what actions make for a better life in the current economy.
In the last seven years, Americans have grown more pessimistic about the power of education to lead to success. Even though they see going to college as a fairly achievable goal, a majority—52 percent—think that young people do not need a four-year college education in order to be successful.
Miguel Maeda, 42, who has a master's degree and works in public health, was the first in his family to go to college, which has allowed him to achieve a sense of financial stability his parents and grandparents never did.
While some, like Maeda, emphasized the value of the degree rather than the education itself, others still see college as a way to gain new perspectives and life experiences. Sixty-year-old Will Fendley, who had a successful career in the military and never earned a college degree, thinks "personal drive" is far more important than just going to college. To Fendley, a sense of drive and purpose, as well as an effective high-school education, and basic life skills, like balancing a checkbook, are the necessary ingredients for a successful life in America.
71.It used to be commonly acknowledged that to succeed in America, one had to have _____.
A.an advanced academic degree
B.an ambition to get ahead
C.a firm belief in their dream
D.a sense of drive and purpose
72.What is the finding of the latest National Journal poll concerning the American dream____
A.More and more Americans are finding it hard to realize.
B.It remains alive among the majority of American people.
C.Americans' idea of it has changed over the past few decades.
D.An increasing number of young Americans are abandoning it.
73.What do Americans now think of the role of college education in achieving success____
A.It still remains open to debate.
B.It has proved to be beyond doubt.
C.It is no longer as important as it used to be.
D.It is much better understood now than ever.
74.How do some people view college education these days____
A.It promotes gender equality.
B.It needs to be strengthened.
C.It adds to cultural diversity.
D.It helps broaden their minds.
75.What is one factor essential to success in America, according to Will Fendley____
A.A desire to learn and to adapt.
B.A strong sense of responsibility.
C.A willingness to commit oneself.
D.A clear aim and high motivation.
A drunken driver is usually defined as one with a 0.10 blood content or roughly three beers, glasses of wine or shots of whisky drank within two hours. Heavy drinking used to be an acceptable part of the American man image and judges were tolerant in most courts, but the drunken slaughter has recently caused so many well-publicized tragedies, especially involving young children, that public opinion is no longer so tolerant.
Twenty states have raised the legal drinking age to 21, reversing a trend in the 1960s to reduce it to 18.After New Jersey lowered it to 18, the number of people killed by 18 to 20-year-old drivers more than doubled, so the state recently upped is back to 21.
Reformers, however, fear raising the drinking age will have little effect unless accompanied by educational programs to help young people to develop "responsible attitudes" about drinking and teach them to resist peer pressure to drink.
Tough new laws have led to increased arrests and tests and, in many areas already, to a marked decline in fatalities. Some states are also penalizing bars for serving customers too many drinks. A tavern in Massachusetts was fined for serving six or more double brandies to a customer who was "obviously intoxicated" and later drove off the road, killing a nine-year-old boy.
As the fatalities continue to daily in every state, some Americans are even beginning to speak well of the 13 years of national prohibition of alcohol that began in 1919, what President Hoover called the "noble experiment". They forget that legal prohibition didn't stop drinking, but encouraged political corruption and organized crime. As with the booming drug trade generally, there is no easy solution.
Drunken driving has become a major problem in America because ______.
A.most Americans are heavy drinkers
B.Americans are now less shocked by road accident
C.accident attract too much publicity
D.drinking is a socially accepted habit in America
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 hnmigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10 years 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 language". By 1996 foreign-born immigrants who had arrive 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 not that children in remote villages around 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 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.
The word "homogenizing"(Line 1, Paragraph 1) most probably means______.
A.identifying
B.associating
C.assimilating
D.monopolizing