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  3. Dumb and Dumber, one of the modern classics of American comedy, tells the story of an affable idiot, Lloyd Christmas, who falls

Dumb and Dumber, one of the modern classics of American comedy, tells the story of an affable idiot, Lloyd Christmas, who falls

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问题     Dumb and Dumber, one of the modern classics of American comedy, tells the story of an affable idiot, Lloyd Christmas, who falls in love with a classy beauty, Mary Swanson. In one scene he asks her the chances of "a guy like you and a girl like me" ending up together. The answer is "Not good". "Not good like one out of a hundred?" asks Lloyd. "More like one out of a million," Mary replies. Lloyd pauses for a moment, then shoots back, "So you’re telling me there’s a chance?"
    That is the American spirit. Americans have traditionally been much more optimistic than Europeans, and happier too. They believe that people determine their own destinies rather than being the mere playthings of fate. They also believe that their children will have a better life than they do.
    This helps to explain the dynamism of the American economy. Americans regard failure — even bankruptcy — as a stone in the road rather than a damning verdict. It also helps to explain the appeal of the American experiment. "The American, by nature, is optimistic," JFK once said. "He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly." Europeans ask, "Why?" Americans ask, "Why not?"
    But the past five years have produced a dramatic souring in the country’s mood. Three-quarters of Americans now think that the country is "on the wrong track". The number of people who are hostile to trade and immigration has risen sharply, as has the number who think that America should engage less in world affairs. Trust in government is half what it was in 2001. Both the president and Congress have bargain-basement approval ratings. And people are increasingly pessimistic about the future. Barely a third thinks that their children will be better off than they themselves are. The reason why the man with the message of hope, Barack Obama, and the man who hails from Hope, Mike Huckabee, are doing so well is that people think hope is in short supply.
    There are good reasons for this pessimism. People are tired of the Bush administration, with its partisanship and incompetence. The Iraq war has shattered America’s image of itself as a mighty but good-hearted giant. Iraq means chaos and Abu Ghraib rather than the triumphant export of democracy.
    The war may be going better of late, but the majority of Americans still think that it was not worth the fighting, and the bad news about the economy is burying the good news about the "surge". Americans are accustomed to thinking of their houses as pots of gold (and pots of gold that can be remortgaged when you need a bit of extra cash). The gold is now turning into lead.
    This is creating a bull market in pessimism. The likes of Bill O’Reilly and Lou Dobbs have transformed themselves into cable stars by ranting about cultural decay and "broken borders". Patrick Buchanan’s latest book is called Day of Reckoning: How Hubris, Ideology and Greed are Tearing America Apart. "We are on a path to national suicide," he says. America is not just "coming apart", but also "decomposing".
    There is certainly no shortage of bad news. But coming apart? Decomposing? The current issue of Commentary — a magazine hardly noted for its sunny disposition — contains an excellent article, Crime, Drugs, Welfare and Other Good News by Peter Wehner (a former senior White House aide) and Yuval Levin, which shows why Mr. Buchanan is talking through his hat.
Which of the following is cited as an expression of American pessimism?
选项 A、America is no longer a mighty and good-hearted giant.
B、Bill O’Reilly and his like are popular among the public.
C、Americans consider their houses as pots of lead.
D、Most Americans think the Iraq war was not worth the fighting.
答案B
解析 事实细节题。[A]是美国人变得悲观的部分原因，不是悲观的表现；[B]“比尔·奥雷利之流们在公众中受欢迎”正说明了悲观情绪在美国民众当中蔓延，故选为答案；美国人的房子不再是金罐，而变成了铅罐，这是事实，故[C]不是悲观情绪的体现；[D]是大多数美国人对发动伊拉克战争的态度，也不是悲观隋绪的表现。
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