社会现象与问题类

Passage 1

Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge (剧增) of women in the workforce may portend a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse (反面) of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriages. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to postpone marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy rebounds, the number of marriages also rises.

Coincident with the increase in women working outside the home is the increase in divorce rates. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wife’s work on divorce is no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible. Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. Given high unemployment, inflationary problems, and slow growth in real earnings, a working wife can increase household income and relieve some of these pressing financial burdens. By raising a family’s standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family’s financial and emotional stability.

Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.

Also, a major part of women’s inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. With higher earning capacity and status occupations outside of the home comes the capacity to exercise power within the family. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities.

1. The word "portend" (Para. 1) is closest in meaning to " _____" .

A) defy B) signal C) suffer from D) result from

2. It is said in the passage that when the economy slides,_____.

A) men would choose working women as their marriage partners

B) more women would get married to seek financial security

C) even working women would worry about their marriages

D) more people would prefer to remain single for the time being

3. If women find fulfillment through work outside the home,_____.

A) they are more likely to dominate their marriage partners

B) their husbands are expected to do more housework

C) their marriage ties can be strengthened

D)they tend to put their career before marriage

4. One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that_____.

A) they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom

B) they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands

C) they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations

D) they tend to suspect their husbands’ loyalty to their marriage

5. Which of the following statements can best summarize the author’s view in the passage?

A)The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic situation of the country.

B) Even when economically independent, most women have to struggle for real equality in marriage.

C) In order to secure their marriage women should work outside the home and remain independent

D) The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.

Passage 2

No woman can be too rich or too thin. This saying often attributed to the late Duchess (公爵夫人) of Windsor embodies much of the odd spirit of our times. Being thin is deemed as such a virtue.

The problem with such a view is that some people actually attempt to live by it. I myself have fantasies of slipping into narrow designer clothes. Consequently, I have been on a diet for the better—or worse—part of my life. Being rich wouldn’t be bad either, but that won’t happen unless an unknown relative dies suddenly in some distant land, leaving me millions of dollars.

Where did we go off the track? When did eating butter become a sin, and a little bit of extra flesh unappealing, if not repellent? All religions have certain days when people refrain from eating, and excessive eating is one of Christianity’s seven deadly sins. However, until quite recently, most people had a problem getting enough to eat. In some religious groups, wealth was symbol of probable salvation and high morals and fatness a sign of wealth and well being.

Today the opposite is true. We have shifted to thinness as our new mark of virtue. The result is that being fat —or even only somewhat overweight — is bad because it implies a lack of moral strength.

Our obsession (迷恋) with thinness is also fuelled by health concerns. It is true that in this country we have more overweight people than ever before, and that in many cases, being overweight correlates with an increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease. These diseases, however, may have as much to do with our way of life and our high-fat diets as with excess weight. And the associated risk of cancer in the digestive system may be more of a dietary problem—too much fat and a lack of fiber —han a weight problem.

The real concern, then, is not that we weigh too much, but that we neither exercise enough nor eat well. Exercise is necessary for strong bones and both heart and lung health. A balanced diet without a lot of fat can also help the body avoid many diseases. We should surely stop paying so much attention to weight. Simply being thin is not enough. It is actually hazardous if those who get thin think they are automatically healthy and thus free from paying attention to their overall life-style. Thinness can be pure vainglory (虚荣).

1. In the eyes of the author, an odd phenomenon nowadays is that .

A) the Duchess of Windsor is regarded as a woman of virtue

B) looking slim is a symbol of having a large fortune

C) being thin is viewed as a much desired quality

D) religious people are not necessarily virtuous

2. Swept by the prevailing trend, the author .

A) had to go on a diet for the greater part of her life

B) could still prevent herself from going off the track

C) had to seek help from rich distant relatives

D) had to wear highly fashionable clothes

3. In human history, people’s views on body weight .

A) were closely related to their religious beliefs B) changed from time to time

C) varied between the poor and the rich D) led to different moral standards

4. The author criticizes women’s obsession with thinness .

A) from an economic and educational perspective

B) from sociological and medical points of view

C) from a historical and religious standpoint

D) in the light of moral principles

5. What’s the author’s advice to women who are absorbed in the idea of thinness?

A) They should be more concerned with their overall lifestyle.

B) They should be more watchful for fatal diseases.

C) They should gain weight to look healthy.

D) They should rid themselves of fantasies about designer clothes.

Passage 3

In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting. Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles, textures, and colors. But they are ultimately the biggest deception that exists in the fashion industry today. What are they? They are high heels—a woman’s worst enemy (whether she knows it or not). High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or sophisticated for wearing heels, but in reality, heels succeed in posing short as well as long term hardships. Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering.

For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels. First, heels are excellent for aerating (使通气)lawns. Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies eliminates all need to call for a lawn care specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all those messy chunks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quite functional for defense against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion accessories.

Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one’s physical health. Talk to any podiatrist (足病医生)，and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as deformed feet and torn toenails. The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a flat shoe wearer. Wearing heels also creates the threat of getting a heel caught in a sidewalk crack or a sewer-grate (阴沟栅) and being thrown to the ground—possibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her swollen, aching feet.

1. What makes women blind to the deceptive nature of high heels?

A) The multi-functional use of high heels. B) Their attempt to show off their status.

C) The rich variety of high heel styles. D) Their wish to improve their appearance.

2. The author’s presentation of the positive side of high heels is meant .

A) to be ironic B) to poke fun at women

C) to be fair to the fashion industry D) to make his point convincing

3. The author uses the expression "those babies" (Line 3, Para. 2) to refer to high heels .

A) to show their fragile characteristics B) to indicate their feminine features

C) to show women’s affection for them D) to emphasize their small size

4. The author’s chief argument against high heels is that .

A) they pose a threat to lawns　B) they are injurious to women’s health

C) they don’t necessarily make women beautiful

D) they are ineffective as a weapon of defense

5. It can be inferred from the passage that women should .

A) see through the very nature of fashion myths

B) boycott the products of the fashion industry

C) go to a podiatrist regularly for advice

D) avoid following fashion too closely

Passage 4

In the world of entertainment, TV talk shows have undoubtedly flooded every inch of space on daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one varies in style and format. But no two shows are more profoundly opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.

Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of "trash talk (废话)". The topics on his show are as shocking as shocking can be. For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show themes of love, sex, cheating, guilt, hate, conflict and morality to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is a display and exploitation of society’s moral catastrophes (灾难), yet people are willing to eat up the intriguing predicaments (困境) of other people’s lives.

Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its extreme, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show focuses on the improvement of society and an individual’s quality of life. Topics range from teaching your children responsibility, managing your workweek, to getting to know your neighbors.

Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being dumped on society. Jerry ends every show with a "final word". He makes a small speech that sums up the entire moral of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.

Clean as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show’s main target audience are middle - class Americans. Most of these people have the time, money and stability to deal with life’s tougher problems. Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of an association with the young adults of society. These are 18 - to 21 - year - olds whose main troubles in life involve love, relationship, sex, money and peers. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned underneath the show’s exploitation.

While the two shows are as different as night and day, both have ruled the talk show circuit for many years now. Each one caters to a different audience while both have a strong following from large groups of fans. Ironically, both could also be considered pioneers in the talk show world.

1. Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey are .

A) more family oriented B) unusually popular

C) more profound D) relatively formal

2.Though the social problems Jerry Springer talks about appear distasteful, the audience .

A) remain fascinated by them B) are ready to face up to them

C) remain indifferent to them D) are willing to get involved in them

3. Which of the following is likely to be a topic of the Oprah Winfrey show?

A) A new type of robot. B) Racist hatred.

C) Family budget planning. D) Street violence.

4. Despite their different approaches, the two talk shows are both .

A) ironical B) sensitive C) instructive D) cynical

5. We can learn from the passage that the two talk shows .

A) have monopolized the talk show circuit B) exploit the weaknesses in human nature

C) appear at different times of the day D) are targeted at different audiences