首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandma’s generation. Their table
When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandma’s generation. Their table
admin
2012-12-26
38
问题
When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandma’s generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday-best.
But in many other homes, this china-and-silver elegance has given way to a stoneware (粗陶)-and-stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times.
Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is eliminating 1,000 jobs—one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4,000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷) region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.
Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company "has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend" toward casual dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television.
Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it’s better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a "real" dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time?
Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette (礼节) that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents ("Chew with your mouth closed." "Keep your elbows off the table.") must be picked up elsewhere. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be competent professionally but clueless socially.
It can be learned from the passage that Royal Doulton is ______.
选项
A、a retailer of stainless steel tableware
B、a dealer in stoneware
C、a pottery chain store
D、a producer of fine china
答案
D
解析
事实细节题。Royal Doulton在文章中出现过两次:第3段说它裁员,因为人们用餐越来越随意(不再讲究餐具的精致):第4段中“A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company…”,暗示公司的性质,可以推断它是精制器皿的生产者。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Fpw7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
A、Itsmaincampus.B、Itsstudentpopulation.C、Itsage-oldideals.D、Itsprogramsforthecommunity.C选项中的Itsmaincampus/studen
A、Graduationceremony.B、Areunionofcollegestudents.C、Thededicationofanewbuilding.D、Awelcomeparty.B选项表明,本题考查地点场所,故听
A、Todosomeresearch.B、Tosupporthisfamily.C、Topayforhiscollegeeducation.D、Tohelphispartnerexpandbusiness.C选项均以
Wegenerallyviewthefamilyasbeingoneofourmoststableinstitutions;yet,ourfamilysystemhas【B1】______anumberofchang
A、Shegavehimadirtylookandfinallyturnedaroundtogethiscoffee.B、Shepracticallythrewthecoffeeathim.C、Shegaveh
A、Agatheringofsuggestionsandinformation.B、Abookfullofusefulknowledge.C、Afactconcerningwildlife.D、Abookaboutfa
StudiesoftheeffectthatmakesmanyofusslumberorfeelsleepyduringtheQueen’sspeechonChristmasDayhaverevealedthat
A、HavedinnerinthecafeB、TrytogetajobinthecafeC、Findoutwhenthecafeopens.D、Meetherinthecafethisevening.B对
随机试题
社会主义法制建设的基本要求是:有法可依,有法必依,执法必严,违法必究。对此,下列哪一选项表述是不准确的()
计算二重积分(χ2+y)dχdy,其中D为曲线y=χ2与χ=y2所围成的区域.
与全口义齿前牙大小的选择无关的是
下列各句中,加点的词语使用不恰当的一项是()。
以下属于对流转额课税的有()。
提出快速联想策略和头脑风暴法的是()。
面对预算困难,W国政府不得不削减对于科研项目的资助,一大批这样的研究项目转而由私人基金资助。这样,可能产生争议结果的研究项目在整个受资助研究项目中的比例肯定会因此降低,因为私人基金资助者非常关心其公众形象,他们不希望自己资助的项目会导致争议。以下哪项是上述
(2012年试题,三)设随机变量X与Y相互独立且分别服从正态分布N(μ,σ2)与N(μ,2σ2),其中σ是未知参数且σ>0.设Z=X—Y设Z1,Z2,…,Zn为来自总体Z的简单随机样本,求σ2的最大似然估计量[*];
下列叙述中正确的是()。
Areyoulivingyourlifetothefullest?Areyouhappywithwho,what,orwhereyouaretoday?Areyoudoingwhatyoulove?
最新回复
(
0
)