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  3. As regards social conventions, we must say a word about the well known English class system. This is an embarrassing subject for

As regards social conventions, we must say a word about the well known English class system. This is an embarrassing subject for

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问题      As regards social conventions, we must say a word about the well known English class system. This is an embarrassing subject for English people, and one they tend to be ashamed of, though during the present century class-consciousness has grown less and less, and the class system less rigid. But it still exists below the surface. Broadly speaking, it means there are two classes, the "middle class" and the "working class". (We shall ignore for a moment the old "upper class", including the hereditary aristocracy, since it is extremely small in numbers; but some of its members have the right to sit in the House of Lords, and some newspapers take a surprising interest in their private life.) The middle class consists chiefly of well to do businessmen and professional people of all kinds. The working class consists chiefly of manual and unskilled workers.
     The most obvious difference between them is in their accent. Middle class people use slightly varying kinds of "received pronunciation" which is the kind of English spoken by BBC announcers and taught to overseas pupils. Typical working class people speak in many different local accents which are generally felt to be rather ugly and uneducated. One of the biggest barriers of social equality in England is the two class education system. To have been to a so called "public school" immediately marks you out as one of the middle class. The middle classes tend to live a more formal life than working class people, and are usually more cultured. Their midday meal is "lunch" and they have a rather formal evening meal called "dinner", whereas the working man’s dinner, if his working hours permit, is at mid-day, and his smaller, late evening meal is called supper.
     As we have said, however, the class system is much less rigid than it was, and for a long time it has been government policy to reduce class distinctions. Working class students very commonly receive a university education and enter the professions, and working class incomes have grown so much recently that the distinctions between the two classes are becoming less and less clear. However, regardless of one’s social status, certain standards of politeness are expected of everybody, and a well bred person is polite to everyone he meets, and treats a laborer with the same respect he gives an important businessman. Servility inspires both embarrassment and dislike. Even the word "sir", except in school and in certain occupations (e.g. commerce, the army, etc.) sounds too servile to be commonly used.  
Why isn’t the word "sir" commonly used in Britain?
选项 A、Because it sounds too servile and is likely to cause embarrassment.
B、Because it can only be used in some certain occupations.
C、Because it is an impolite word.
D、Because it shows that the speaker is not a well-bred person.
答案A
解析 推断题。文章的最后两句指出谦卑会让人感到尴尬与厌烦。甚至“先生”这个词，除了在学校和一些特定的职业(例如，商业、军队等等)外，也听起来很谦卑而不经常使用。因此可推断出正确答案为A。
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