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  3. The decline in moral standards--which has long concerned social analysts---has at last captured the attention of average America

The decline in moral standards--which has long concerned social analysts---has at last captured the attention of average America

admin2010-06-18  47
问题    The decline in moral standards--which has long concerned social analysts---has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.
   The fact that ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation’s moral climate, says this ethics professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.
   But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in American society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that ’I’m in it for m’ has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness." Ms. Elshtain says.
   Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today’s greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.
   In a 1996 poll of Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. And Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that. Data show that Americans are struggling with problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.
   The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament for some nonexistent "golden age, " Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful longing for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.
   Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says, "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that can’t be bought."
Professor Elshtain is pleased to see that Americans______.
选项 A、have adapted to a new set of moral standards
B、are longing for the return of the good old days
C、have realized the importance of material things
D、are awakening to the lowering of their moral standards
答案D
解析 根据第一段中的“The decline in moral standards…has at last captured the attention of average Amexicans．”可知道德标准滑坡最终引起了普通美国民众的关注，这是使Elshtain教授高兴的事情，由此可见，[D]为正确答案。从第二段的"The fact…is reason to hope that new ideas will come  forward to improve it”可以看出“a set of new moral standards”还没有形成，更谈不上美国人已经适应之了，因此，[A]不正确。文章没有提到美国人“are longing for the return of the good old days”，因此也不可能成为Elshtain教授高兴的原因了，所以，[B]不正确。文章第三段指出对于改善道德环境来说，“Materialism and individualism in American society are the biggest obstacles”,由此可见，美国人对“the importance of material things”的认识绝不会是Elshtain教授高兴的事情，因此，[C]也不正确．
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