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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  60
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. "
The main idea that the author wants to demonstrate in Paragraph 5 is that______.
选项 A、the discrimination against single people is unacceptable
B、single people deserve more privileges than married people
C、single people are the backbone of urban economy
D、The married people are too absorbed in their own family to be conscious of public welfare
答案A
解析 第五段之前作者一直在列举生活中方方面面对于单身人士的歧视。第五段第一句话就起到了承上启下的作用，“考虑到单身者对社会的贡献，对于单身人士的偏见就更让人不能容忍了”。然后整个一段都是在说明单身人士是如何比已婚人士做出更多的社会贡献的。作者强调单身人士的贡献，并不是想要说明单身人士应该比已婚人士享有更多特权，故[B]选项错误。[A]选项正确。[C]和[D]两个选项都是作者为了表述自己核心思想而作出的论述内容，不能和观点混为一谈。
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