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  3. In his new book, Going Solo, New York University sociologist Eric Klinenberg argues that we’re poised to become a nation dominat

In his new book, Going Solo, New York University sociologist Eric Klinenberg argues that we’re poised to become a nation dominat

admin2014-10-24  57
问题     In his new book, Going Solo, New York University sociologist Eric Klinenberg argues that we’re poised to become a nation dominated by single people. Just 51 percent of American adults are married, according to recent census data, and more than a quarter of all U. S. households consist of only one person. Yet singles often don’t get a lot of love—and we’re not talking about their romantic lives.
    Activists say that unmarried people are systematically discriminated against. " Singleism— stereotyping, stigmatizing, and discrimination against people who are single—is largely unrecognized and unchallenged," says activist Bella DePaulo, the author of Singled Out.
    DePaulo says: " People don’t notice singleism, and if their attention is called to it, they think there’s nothing wrong. " That’s why, for instance, car and health insurance companies get away with charging less for couples and families. "They can attract more business that way," DePaulo notes. In the process, they leave single people to essentially subsidize the benefit by paying more. " When married workers can add spouses to a health-care plan at a discount and single workers can’t add someone important to them, that’s discrimination," says DePaulo.
    The U. S. government not only turns a blind eye to the problem of " singleism," but helps enforce it, activists say. Just look at Social Security. "A childless singleton can work side by side with a childless married person, doing the same job, for the same number of years, at the same level of accomplishment—and when the married person dies, that worker can leave his or her Social Security benefits to a spouse," says DePaulo. " The single person’s benefits go back into the system. "
    That’s especially true given how much they contribute to society—more, activists argue, than married couples with families. "On average, singles have more disposable income," Klinenberg says. " They’ re fueling urban economies that would be in much worse shape without them. And compared to married people, they’re more likely to spend time with neighbors, to participate in public events, and to volunteer. "
    Singles may also be contributing more at the office, without being compensated for it, activists say. " Studies have shown that singles are often paid less than married people, even if they share the same title, responsibilities, and years of experience," says Langburt. "And if you agree that time equals dollars, then it doesn’t stop there: there’s maternity leave, all the time off leading up to the pregnancy for doctors’ visits, and sick days. "
    Historically, governments have passed laws encouraging marriage and families in the hopes that doing so would decrease the likelihood that the state would need to care for abandoned children. But policies that benefit the married shouldn’t be substitutes for more universal social programs, says marriage historian Stephanie Coontz, the director of research and public education for the Council on Contemporary Families. "The penalties for being single in this country are worse than in Europe, where individuals have guaranteed access to health care, and they have options beyond a spouse’s death benefits for staying above the poverty line as they age. "
What can we infer from Paragraph 3 and 4?
选项 A、There are serious defects in the mechanism of American social security.
B、The government and enterprises provide benefits for married people to boost marriage rate.
C、Marital status is often one consideration of insurance companies when they are determining the insurance premium.
D、Enterprises always put the interest of most people at stake in order to satisfy its own’ interest.
答案C
解析 文章第三段主要用购买汽车保险这个例子说明了单身主义的问题；而第四段主要描述了社会保障方面歧视单身主义者的问题。[A]选项提到了美国的社会福利体系，因此我们需要从第四段中找答案。第四段中提到两个同样的美国公民，做一样的事，工龄相同，业绩水平相当，但是已婚工人去世后，可以将自己的社会保障福利留给配偶，而单身者的福利就要归还社会保障系统。这就是美国社会福利系统中表现出的对单身主义者的歧视。但是基于此就得出美国社会福利系统存在严重缺陷，属于夸大其词。[B]选项错误，如果说政府为结婚人士提供福利是出于提升结婚率考虑的话，那么企业这么做则完全是从自身利益角度出发的。第二段也指出，“保险公司为了拉到更多的生意，往往降低对已婚夫妇和家庭的收费”。[C]选项正确，第二段说明了这个观点，保险公司在制定对一个人的保费时，往往考虑其婚姻状况。如果已婚，收取的保费可能就会稍微少一点，而对单身人士却没有这样的优惠政策。[D]答案内容和文章讨论内容无关，文章只谈到了企业为了获利而牺牲小部分人的利益，例如单身人士的利益，并没有谈到企业为了自己的利益而将大多数人的利益置于不顾。
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