Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal or at least many parts of it have. In some ways, however, very little has changed, particularly where attitudes are concerned. Ideas about social class—whether a person is “working-class” or “middle-class”—is one area in which changes have been extremely slow.
In the past, the working-class tended to be paid less than middle-class people, such as teachers and doctors. As a result of this and also of the fact that workers’ jobs were generally much less secure, distinct differences in life-styles and attitudes came into existence. The typical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then, it was widely believed, having given his wife her “housekeeping”, would go out and squander the rest on beer and betting.
The stereotype of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth. He was and still is inclined to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house as an important thing, but he also considered the education of his children as extremely important. Both of these provided him and his family with security. Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity (or the education and training) to make such long-term plans.
Nowadays, a great deal has changed. In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much, if not more, than their middle-class supervisors. Social security and laws, combined with a general rise in the standard of living since the mid-fifties of the 20th century, have made it less necessary than before to worry about “tomorrow”. Working-class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority they had in the past. In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle-classes to feel slightly ashamed of their position.
The changes in both lifestyles and attitudes are probably most easily seen amongst younger people. They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes, they spend their money in having a good time, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary. There seems to be much less difference than in previous generations. Nevertheless, we still have a wide gap between the well-paid (whatever the type of job they may have) and the low-paid. As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new conflicts and jealousies will emerge, or rather that the old conflicts will re-appear, but between different groups.
1.Which of the following is seen as the cause of class differences in the past?
2.The writer seems to suggest that the description of（ ）is closer to truth?
3.According to the passage, which of the following is not a typical feature of the middle class?
4.Working-class people's sense of security increased as a result of all the following factors except?
5.Which of the following statements is incorrect?
问题1选项
A.Life style and occupation.
B.Attitude and income.
C.Income and job security.
D.Job security and hobbies.
问题2选项
A.middle -class ways of spending money
B.working-class ways of spending the weekend
C.working-class drinking habits
D.middle-class attitudes
问题3选项
A.Desiring for security.
B.Making long term plans.
C.Having priorities in life.
D.Saving money.
问题4选项
A.Better social security.
B.More job opportunities.
C.Higher living standard.
D.Better legal protection.
问题5选项
A.Changes are slowly taking place in all sectors of the British society.
B.The gap between working-class and middle-class young people is narrowing.
C.Difference in income will remain but those in occupation will disappear.
D.Middle-class people may sometimes feel inferior to working-class people.
第1题:C
第2题:A
第3题:D
第4题:B
第5题:A
第1题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following is seen as the cause of class differences in the past? 以下哪项被视为过去阶级差异的原因？
A. Lifestyle and occupation. A. 生活方式和职业。
B. Attitude and income. B. 态度和收入。
C. Income and job security. C. 收入与工作保障。
D. Job security and hobbies. D. 工作保障与兴趣爱好。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词cause of class differences可以定位到文章第二段第一、二句In the past, the working-class tended to be paid less than middle-class people, such as teachers and doctors. As a result of this and also of the fact that workers’ jobs were generally much less secure, distinct differences in life-styles and attitudes came into existence.（过去，工人阶级的工资往往低于中产阶级，如教师和医生。由于这种情况，再加上工人的工作一般都不太稳定，因此在生活方式和态度上出现了明显的差异。），说明收入和工作保障是造成过去阶级差异的主要原因。因此C选项“收入与工作保障。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“生活方式和职业。”，B选项“态度和收入。”和D选项“工作保障与兴趣爱好。”虽然在文中有所提及，但并没有明确将其视为阶级差异的原因，属于出处错位。
第2题:
【选项释义】
The writer seems to suggest that the description of ________ is closer to truth. 作者似乎认为________的描述更接近事实。
A. middle-class ways of spending money A. 中产阶级的消费方式
B. working-class ways of spending the weekend B. 工人阶级度过周末的方式
C. working-class drinking habits C. 工人阶级的饮酒习惯
D. middle-class attitudes D. 中产阶级的态度
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词closer to truth可以定位到文章第三段第一句The stereotype of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth.（对中产阶级如何使用他的钱的刻板印象可能更接近事实。），说明中产阶级在花钱方面的描述更接近事实。因此A选项“中产阶级的消费方式”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“工人阶级度过周末的方式”，C选项“工人阶级的饮酒习惯”和D选项“中产阶级的态度”虽然在文中有所提及，但并未说明这种描述是否更接近事实，属于出处错位。
第3题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, which of the following is not a typical feature of the middle class? 根据这篇文章，以下哪项不是中产阶级的典型特征？
A. Desiring for security. A. 渴望安全感。
B. Making long term plans. B. 制定长期计划。
C. Having priorities in life. C. 确定生活的优先次序。
D. Saving money. D. 存钱。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词typical feature of the middle class可以定位到文章第三段第二、三、四句He was and still is inclined to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house as an important thing, but he also considered the education of his children as extremely important. Both of these provided him and his family with security.（他过去和现在都倾向于从长计议。他不仅把买房看得很重要，还把子女的教育看得极其重要。这两点为他和他的家庭提供了保障。），说明中产阶级关注安全保障，倾向于做长期计划，重视教育和购房，表明他们在生活中有优先事项，其中并未明确指出中产阶级的特征是“存钱”。因此D选项“存钱。”符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“渴望安全感。”，B选项“制定长期计划。”和C选项“确定生活的优先次序。”在文中均有所提及，为中产阶级的特征，属于反向干扰。
第4题:
【选项释义】
Working-class people’s sense of security increased as a result of all the following factors except? 工人阶级的安全感增强是以下所有因素的结果，除了哪一项？
A. Better social security. A. 更好的社会保障。
B. More job opportunities. B. 更多的就业机会。
C. Higher living standard. C. 更高的生活水平。
D. Better legal protection. D. 更好的法律保护。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词Working-class people’s sense of security可以定位到文章第四段第二、三句In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much, if not more, than their middle-class supervisors. Social security and laws, combined with a general rise in the standard of living since the mid-fifties of the 20th century, have made it less necessary than before to worry about “tomorrow”.（在很多情况下，工厂工人的收入与中产阶级主管的收入相当，甚至更高。社会保障和法律，再加上自20世纪50年代中期以来生活水平的普遍提高，使得人们不再像以前那样担心“明天”。），说明工人阶级安全感的增加是由于更好的社会保障、更高的生活标准和更好的法律保护，但未提及“更多的就业机会”是直接因素。因此B选项“更多的就业机会。”符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“更好的社会保障。”，C选项“更高的生活水平。”和D选项“更好的法律保护。”在文中均有所提及，为工人阶级的安全感增强的因素，属于反向干扰。
第5题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following statements is incorrect? 以下哪种说法是错误的？
A. Changes are slowly taking place in all sectors of the British society. A. 英国社会的各个领域都在慢慢发生变化。
B. The gap between working-class and middle-class young people is narrowing. B. 工人阶级和中产阶级年轻人之间的差距正在缩小。
C. Difference in income will remain but those in occupation will disappear. C. 收入差距依然存在，但职业差距将会消失。
D. Middle-class people may sometimes feel inferior to working-class people. D. 中产阶级有时会感到不如工人阶级。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据A选项关键词Changes可以定位到文章第一段第一、二句Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal or at least many parts of it have. In some ways, however, very little has changed, particularly where attitudes are concerned.（在过去的25年里，英国社会发生了巨大的变化，至少是许多方面发生了变化。但在某些方面，变化却很小，尤其是在态度方面。），说明变化并非在所有领域慢慢发生。因此A选项“英国社会的各个领域都在慢慢发生变化。”符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“工人阶级和中产阶级年轻人之间的差距正在缩小。”，文章提到年轻人之间的差异正在缩小，属于反向干扰；
C选项“收入差距依然存在，但职业差距将会消失。”，文章提到收入高的人和收入低的人之间的差距会保持，但职业上的差距将会消失，属于反向干扰；
D选项“中产阶级有时会感到不如工人阶级。”，文章提到中产阶级对自己的地位感到略微羞愧的趋势越来越明显，属于反向干扰。
